Fredette, 6 foot-2, 195 pounds, is expected to have the same role as Morrow did this past season by supplying 3-point shooting off the bench. Morrow opted out of his contract with the Pelicans last month and signed a three-year, $10 million deal to join the Oklahoma City Thunder as an unrestricted free agent.

Fredette has had problems getting up his desired shots against taller and more athletic guards in the NBA. However, in 41 games with the Kings last season, Fredette made 49 percent of his 3-point attempts despite averaging 5.9 points. He is a career 40.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

With the additions of Fredette and small forward Darius Miller, who agreed to re-sign on Thursday night, the Pelicans will have 14 players under contract. But small forward Omri Cassipi who was acquired from the Houston Rockets in three-team trade that involved center Omer Asik coming to New Orleans, will likely be waived before his contract becomes guaranteed on Aug. 1.

Former Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette has told the Chicago Bulls he will sign with them if he clears waivers, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the negotiations.

Fredette, who was drafted 10th overall out of Brigham Young in 2010, was bought out by the Kings this week and has yet to clear waivers. That is likely to happen at 5 p.m. EST Saturday, at which point Fredette would be free to sign. Because Fredette was waived before March 1, he will be eligible to be on the Bulls’ playoff roster. They are currently 32-26 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

“This was a very tough decision, but we’re confident that the agreement reached today represents the most productive path forward, both for Jimmer and the Kings,” said GM Pete D’Alessandro. “Echoing a sentiment that everyone who knows him appreciates about Jimmer, he’s a tremendous person and a consummate professional. We thank him for the meaningful contributions he made to the team and in the Sacramento community. On behalf of an entire organization, we wish him nothing but great success in the future.”

Through 41 games, Fredette is averaging 5.9 points (.475 FG%, .493 3pt%, .895 FT%), 1.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 11.3 minutes per game in 41 games off the bench. He has accrued career averages of 7.0 points (.416 FG%, .402 3pt%, .855 FT%), 1.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 15.0 minutes per game in 171 career contests with Sacramento.

The Jimmer Fredette Era in Sacramento appears to have come to an end. The Kings are said to be finalizing a buyout with the 25-year old guard, making Fredette a free agent should he clear NBA waivers. Per Yahoo!:

The Kings tried to move Fredette before Thursday’s trade deadline, but were unable to find a destination for him. Fredette had been one of college basketball’s most prolific scorers at BYU – scoring 2,599 points in his career – and earning consensus honors as college basketball’s player of the year in 2011.

Nevertheless, he has struggled to find his niche with the Kings. Still, there are expected to be several teams with interest in signing him for the rest of the season, league sources said.

Fredette, 25, has averaged 5.9 points per game for the Kings this season – and seven in his three-year NBA career.

Before the season, the Kings passed on picking up the 2014-15 option on Fredette’s contract, almost assuring that he’d be elsewhere next season.

The Grizzlies held off a Magic team that just wouldn’t go away. Behind strong play from Zach Randolph (20 points, 5 rebounds) early on, Memphis jumped out to a quick 24-15 lead. After an Ed Davis (2 points) alley-oop midway through the second quarter, the lead was extended to 36-23, the Grizzlies’ largest lead of the game. But behind strong play from Tobias Harris (13 points, 7 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (13 points, 10 rebounds), Orlando would go on a quick 20-9 run in the third quarter to take a 60-59 lead with a minute left in the third quarter. The score would remain single-digits for the majority of the fourth quarter, with both teams fighting on every possession. Memphis would use a 6-0 run in the final few minutes to close this one out. Courtney Lee (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Nick Calathes (12 points, 6 assists, 4 steals) played well together in the starting lineup, with Mike Conley still sidelined. They were instrumental in the Grizzlies taking care of the ball, as the team only turned the ball over eight times on the night. Memphis had a 14-4 advantage in terms of fast break points. Marc Gasol left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury.

Mavericks 81 (32-22), Pacers 73 (40-12)

A night after they allowed the Bobcats to put up 114 points, the Mavs had one of the best defensive performances against this Pacers team. Losing just their third game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season, the Pacers were held to a season-low 73 points against a Dallas team that will go into the All-Star break 10 games over .500. Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 6 rebounds) and Monta Ellis (23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks) have worked well together so far and led Dallas in Wednesday night’s victory. Shawn Marion (4 points, 5 rebounds) played fantastic defense against Paul George (12 points, 7 rebounds), holding the All-Star to just four made field goals. After George hit a step back jumper with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter, the game was tied 66-66. The Mavs would then go on a 15-7 run to close out the game, behind 8-8 free throw shooting from Ellis. He has simplified his approach on the offensive end of the court, relying mainly on the pick-and-roll and getting into the paint. Led by George Hill (14 points, 5 assists), five Pacers scored in double-figures, compared to only three Mavericks. However, the Pacers shot a dreadful 32.1 percent while the Mavs didn’t shoot much better (35.7 percent). The Mavs haven’t had many gritty wins such as this one, but they’ll need to make it more of a habit if they want to be a threat in the playoffs.

Raptors 104 (28-24), Hawks 83 (25-26)

Other than the 76ers, there isn’t another team in the NBA that needs the All-Star break more than these Atlanta Hawks. Now riding a five-game losing streak, the Hawks have dropped below .500 for the first time since December 2. The Raptors, on the other hand, are going into the break leading the Atlantic Division for the first time since the 2006-07 season—a year they ended up winning the division. They took down the Hawks by lighting it up from deep, making 11-33 on 3-pointers. The Hawks, on the other hand, shot 4-20 from deep. All-Star DeMar DeRozan (31 points, 11-19 from the field) left no doubt in viewers’ minds that he deserves to be an All-Star while teammate Kyle Lowry (16 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds) still looks like an All-Star snub. Jonas Valanciunas (2 points, 14 rebounds) didn’t do much offensively, but had 5 big offensive boards. Two of these boards came during a quick 7-3 run to start the third quarter. The Raptors would go on to pull away in this third quarter, outscoring the Hawks 33-21. DeRozan scored 14 of his 31 points in this quarter. Then Toronto poured it on by outscoring Atlanta 26-18 in the final 12 minutes. The Raptors missed 11 of their first 12 shots, but found their touch as the game progressed. Gustavo Ayon (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Paul Milsap (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) didn’t get much help from their teammates, but helped the Hawks actually outscore the Raptors 50-32 in the paint. However, the Hawks just couldn’t keep up with the Raptors’ hot shooting.

Spurs 104 (38-15), Celtics 92 (19-35)

Boston struggled offensively early on, only scoring 2 points in the first 7 minutes of play and trailed 13-2. Behind strong play from Rajon Rondo (16 points, 4 assists) and Kelly Olynyk (15 points, 10 rebounds), the Celtics responded by going on a 24-12 run to take the lead. Both teams had balanced offenses on the night, as 11 total players scored in double-figures. But Tim Duncan (25 points, 9 rebounds) was too much for the Celtics to handle down the stretch. The Big Fundamental scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half, during which his Spurs scored 55 points. Marco Belinelli (16 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists) flirted with a triple-double, taking a bigger role with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter all sidelined with injuries. San Antonio used an 11-0 run toward the end of the fourth quarter to put this one away. The Celtics are now 4-18 against Western Conference opponents.

Nets 105 (24-26), Bobcats 89 (23-30)

This Nets team is becoming difficult to read. After winning five games in a row in January, they lost three straight. Now, they have currently won four of their last five…with that one lost coming against the dreadful Pistons. But Wednesday night, after Paul Pierce (25 points, 9-11 from the field, 5-5 on 3-pointers) hit a 3-pointer to give Brooklyn a 5-4 lead a few minutes into the game, the Nets wouldn’t give up the lead the rest of the way. This might have been Pierce’s best game of the season, which might be a sign of good things to come once All-Star weekend is over. Pierce had help from Andray Blatche (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Mirza Teletovic (13 points, 8 rebounds), who are becoming reliable forces off the bench. Kemba Walker (16 points) led the Bobcats in scoring as they didn’t have much of that going on Wednesday night. They only scored 34 points during the second and third quarters. The Nets have won 11 of their last 13 games at Barclays Center. If the Nets want to really start to climb up the East ladder, though, Deron Williams (13 points, 7 assists) needs to start playing at a much higher level.

Cavaliers 93 (20-33), Pistons 89 (22-30)

Both these teams came into Wednesday’s game recently making drastic management decisions and each riding three-game winning streaks possibly because of it. But the Pistons don’t have an All-Star starting point guard on their team. Kyrie Irving (23 points, 9-9 on free throws) made a clutch 3-pointer with just under 30 seconds left in the game that sealed the victory. With the win, the Cavs have now four games in a row for the first time since Mr. LeBron James was on the team. Irving and Tristan Thompson (25 points, 15 rebounds, 12-16 from the field) were playing with a purpose tonight, taking it to the Pistons. Detroit had five players score in double-figures, led by that big frontline consisting of Josh Smith (18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks), Greg Monroe (16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Andre Drummond (16 points, 10 offensive rebounds). The Cavs were actually outrebounded 53-45 and lost the assists battle, 21-17. But the Cavs made timely plays, especially late in the game when Irving and Thompson took over. Thompson scored 14 of his 25 points in the final eight minutes, during which Drummond couldn’t seem to handle the former Longhorn. Even though these teams have similarly inferior records, since neither have “Bucks” in their team name, they both still have a chance to make the playoffs.

Kings 106 (18-35), Knicks 101 (20-32) OT

Even though they didn’t have J.R. Smith (fractured cheekbone) Wednesday night, the Knicks were able to hold a 33-20 lead toward the end of the first quarter. But they couldn’t finish against one of the worst teams in the West. Losing to these Kings and allowing Jimmer Fredette (career-high 24 points, 6-8 on 3-pointers) to go off out of nowhere against his so-called “defense” can’t bode well for Mike Woodson. Reports say Knicks management want Woodson to stay, but coming off recent losses to the Bucks and Kings is not a good way to go into the All-Star break. Carmelo Anthony (36 points, 11 rebounds) and Amare Stoudemire (20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) looked like the players that signed massive contracts a few years ago. However, other than Tyson Chandler (17 points, 11 rebounds), these two didn’t get much help. Tim Hardaway Jr. (7 points, 3-12 from the field) had one of the worst games of his young career, finishing the game with a -28 plus/minus in 37 minutes of play. The Kings, being led by Fredette and his hot shooting, also had strong play from their new big three—Isaiah Thomas (20 points, 7 assists), DeMarcus Cousins (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Rudy Gay (20 points, 7 rebounds). Gay hit a jumper with 20 seconds left to send this game into overtime. The Knicks didn’t score for the first 3:23 of overtime and simply gave up too many points (13) for a five-minute span. Melo didn’t score any points in overtime. Sacramento doesn’t have much going for them, but if they can keep their big three and sixth man Derrick Williams (14 points, 4 rebounds), that’s a promising young nucleus for the future.

Rockets 113 (36-17), Wizards 112 (25-27)

Houston is currently riding a League-best seven-game winning streak, all thanks to James Harden (35 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 16-16 on free throws) and his ability to hit free throws and clutch shots. After Dwight Howard (24 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks) set a solid pick in order to free up Harden coming out of a timeout, Harden drove into the lane for the game-winning layup with 0.7 seconds left. Even though an effective play was run for Harden on the final play, the Wizards let him euro-waltz his way into the paint for an easy two points. It seemed like they all simply accepted that Harden would be taking this win from them. Trevor Ariza (season-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, career-high 10 3-pointers) played exceptionally well…up to the last few seconds of the game. Ariza actually fouled out by pushing Harden to the ground before the ball had even been inbounded, giving the Rockets one free throw and possession. John Wall (19 points, 14 assists, 3 steals, 0 turnovers) efficiently orchestrated the offense, having his second game of the year with no turnovers. Chandler Parson (18 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists) did a little bit of everything. (Is Parsons becoming the glue guy for this Rockets team?) The Rockets actually led 89-70 with 3:32 left in the third quarter and almost let this game slip away. As successful as this season has been for the Rockets, they have a bad habit of letting teams get back into games that should be over. This bad habit won’t translate to wins once the playoffs arrive.

Pelicans 102 (23-29), Bucks 98 (9-43)

Well, the Tanks—I mean Bucks set a new attendance low (11,102) since the team moved to Bradley Center in 1988. And that’s not even how many people were actually at the game. The Pelicans offense was extremely balanced and efficient. Seven players scored in double-figures as Al-Farouq Aminu (10 points, 7 rebounds), Alexis Ajinca (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Luke Babbitt (10 points, 5 rebounds) combined to shoot 16-22 (72.8 percent) from the field. Guards Brandon Knight (22 points, 9 assists, 0 turnovers), Nate Wolters (14 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) and Gary Neal (18 points) all played well for the Bucks. But even with Anthony Davis (12 points, season-low 1 rebound) having his minutes restricted due to foul trouble, the Bucks couldn’t take advantage of a one-possession deficit late in this game. After Ersan Ilyasova (16 points, 9 rebounds) made a 3-pointer with 52 seconds left and then Brian Roberts (17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) missed a jumper, the Bucks only trailed 100-98 with a chance to tie the game. However, after Ilyasova missed a layup, Milwaukee got the offensive rebound…only to have Khris Middleton (11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) turn the ball over. Eric Gordon (21 points, 6 assists) would make 2-2 free throws to close this one out. The Bucks have lost 10 of their last 11 games, with no silver lining in sight…other than a high 2014 draft pick.

Timberwolves 117 (25-28), Nuggets 90 (24-27)

Kevin Love (32 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists) must not have wanted to lose five straight games going into the All-Star break, almost attained his first career triple-double during a big night. Ricky Rubio (11 points, 12 assists, 7 steals) provided just enough scoring while still being the distributor, and Corey Brewer (22 points, 5 steals) got plenty of buckets simply from leaking out and cherry picking. J.J. Barea (18 points, 8-8 from the field, 2-2 on 3-pointers) had a perfect game from the field as his team led wire-to-wire. The Wolves led 31-19 after 12 minutes and never looked back. The Nuggets, who have now been blown out in four straight games, were led by Jordan Hamilton (16 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) off the bench while J.J. Hickson (14 points, 13 rebounds) had a double-double. Without Ty Lawson (fractured rib), the Nuggets just don’t have a conductor for their train that doesn’t seem to be moving at the moment…there’s a reason they had 21 turnovers in this game. And with Kenneth Faried failing to reach 13 points or double-digits rebounds in seven of the last eight games, Denver is crawling into the break.

Jazz 105 (19-33), 76ers 100 (15-39)

Since Trey Burke (7 points) returned from his injury, the Jazz have actually been somewhat mediocre, going 18-22. They are currently riding a three-game winning streak, thanks to the explosive play from Alec Burks (26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), who simply knows how to score at will. Many of his late jumpers and layups probably shouldn’t have gone in, being shots you would see during a HORSE competition. Burks remained aggressive and went off for 10 points in the final two minutes, helping lift the Jazz over the spiraling Sixers. Burks is averaging 25.0 points while shooting 14-21 (66.7 percent) from the field in the past two wins. Six Jazz players scored in double-figures, as Gordon Hayward (17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks) had a solid all-around game and Marvin Williams (13 points, season-high 14 rebounds) had a double-double. All five Sixers starters scored in double-figures, led by Evan Turner (21 points, 5 rebounds), but the bench only produced 10 points, compared to 56 bench points for the Jazz. Utah almost let a 14-point lead slip away late in this game, when no one seemed to be able to find the basket. But Burks saved the day with his burst onto the scene. The Jazz have won a season-best three games in a row while the Sixers currently have a League-worst seven game losing streak.

Heat 111 (37-14), Warriors 110 (31-22)

Joe Lacob said it all, as he could be heard saying “he’s unreal” after the Warriors lost. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he was talking about LeBron James (36 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 14-26 from the field), who hit a step back 3-pointer with less than a second left to earn a huge road win. And aside from this one shot, James had one of his best and most dominant games of the season. He went into that mode we’ve all seen before when it looks as if no one on the planet will or can stop him. He had to play like this since Dwyane Wade (foot; migraine) didn’t play and no other Heat teammate reached 20 points. Chris Bosh (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Michael Beasley (16 points) provided solid minutes for the Heat while Stephen Curry (29 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 4-4 on 3-pointers) almost got to play the role of hero himself. After James hit a 3-pointer with just under a minute to go, Curry knocked down a pull-up jumper to tie the game 107-107. James would go on to hit 1-2 free throws. Then it was Curry’s turn, who converted a tough and-one to give Golden State a 109-108 lead with 14 seconds left. And he made Mario Chalmers (12 points, 7 assists) look silly. But LeBron showed why he is truly something special, hitting a difficult shot on the road to go into the All-Star break on a high note. The Heat shot 53.8 percent from the field and had a 56-40 points in the paint advantage. They almost let a 21-point lead go to waste, as Curry started to heat up in the second half. David Lee (21 points, 11 rebounds) had a double-double but was a liability on the defensive end with the Heat’s athletic lineups. The Warriors have fallen to eighth in the West, just a game and a half ahead of the Grizzlies.

Clippers 122 (37-18), Blazers 117 (36-17)

The Blazers are little by little coming back down to earth. They do look to be on their way to the playoffs, but the Thunder’s grip on the Northwest Division is getting tighter and tighter. Losers of three of their last four games and eight of their last 13, the Blazers just couldn’t stop the high-powered offensive powerhouse known as the Clippers. They were led by their normal sources of offense—Chris Paul (20 points, 12 assists, 3 steals), Blake Griffin (36 points, 10 rebounds) and Jamal Crawford (25 points, 10-11 on free throws). When Paul has the offense flowing, Griffin is establishing himself in the post and Crawford is making shots he shouldn’t be taking, Los Angeles becomes lethal. This game had 40 lead changes, as neither team ever led by more than seven points. Lob City, though, closed the game on an 8-2 run for the victory. The Blazers had six players score in double-figures, led by All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge (25 points) and Damian Lillard (21 points, 5 assists, 6 turnovers). But again—the problem was the defense. The Clippers shot 58.2 percent from the field and scored at least 30 points in every single quarter. They also outscored the Blazers 58-36 in the paint and had a commanding 34-6 advantage in fast break points. The ability to push the ball up the court gave Los Angeles the edge in this matchup. Los Angeles has now scored at least 100 points in 11 straight home games. The Blazers are the only team in the NBA to use the same starting lineup in every game—Aldridge, Lillard, Wesley Matthews (15 points, 6 rebounds), Nicolas Batum (13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) and Robin Lopez (12 points, 6 rebounds).

The Kings have offered Marcus Thornton and a future second-round pick as the framework of a deal for Miller, and have presented a package including Jimmer Fredette and a future second as an alternative, two people familiar with the scenarios said Wednesday. Those people familiar with the terms of those offers did not know the third scenario presented by Sacramento, but executives gathered here for the D-League Showcase surmised that it likely involves forward Jason Thompson.

Executives scouting the development league event suspect that the Kings are now showcasing Thornton, who has moved ahead of first-round pick Ben McLemore in Sacramento’s starting lineup. The Kings would have to furnish another player in a potential deal involving Fredette to make the trade work under NBA rules.

The Nuggets suspended Miller two games after the 37-year-old point guard confronted coach Brian Shaw over his benching in a 114-102 loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 1. The team subsequently lifted the suspension but excused Miller from team activities.

In the latest installment from Pro Hoop Strength, Jimmer Fredette demonstrates a workout used by the Sacramento Kings. The workout targets a full range of motion using bodyweight and common gym equipment—resistance bands and medicine balls. Kings strength and conditioning coach Dan Shapiro details the proper form for each exercise.

For more exercises, articles, advice and workouts directly from NBA strength and conditioning coaches and players, visit Pro Hoop Strength.

Monta Ellis isn’t the only Milwaukee Bucks free agent that the Atlanta Hawks are interested in, according to reports. Word is that Brandon Jennings is also being chased by the Hawks, via sign-and-trade. Per ESPN: “Sources briefed on the situation said that the Hawks and Bucks have in recent days discussed a sign-and-trade deal to land Brandon Jennings in Atlanta and send fellow restricted free agent Jeff Teague to Milwaukee to reunite with former Hawks coach Larry Drew. [...] If those sign-and-talks progress to the serious stage, sources said, Atlanta would inevitably have to rescind its longstanding interest in Ellis, knowing he and Jennings realistically couldn’t play together again given how poorly they functioned as a backcourt duo in Milwaukee last season. Sources say that the Kings, meanwhile, have been shopping the likes of Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes to the Cavaliers to create the requisite salary-cap room to try to sign Ellis comfortably. Hard to see Cleveland wanting Hayes, whose contract runs through 2014-15 and thus potentially cuts into Cleveland’s reserves earmarked for a free-agent run at LeBron James next summer. Fredette’s $2.4 million salary is a virtual expiring deal.”

Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette has filed suit against a Utah-based clothing company, alleging they failed to pay $50,000 plus royalties. Per the AP: “Fredette’s Salt Lake City-based attorney, Tyson Snow, filed the complaint Monday in Utah’s 3rd District Court against Black Clover Enterprises. It alleges breach of contract, abuse of Fredette’s identity and using his name and likeness for profit. ‘We are working with Black Clover attorneys and it is our hope that the complaint can be dismissed in the near future,’ Snow said Thursday. Fredette, 24, is now in his second year with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and earns $2.4 million. Brett Wayment, one of Black Clover’s owners, also said both sides have been working toward a resolution and hoped to continue the business relationship with Fredette. The apparel company has been selling Fredette hats with Kings colors. The lawsuit says Fredette entered an endorsement agreement with Black Clover in March 2012 to use his name and likeness on a variety of products. In exchange, the former NCAA national player of the year was to receive $50,000 a year plus royalties of up to 10 percent of company revenues on endorsed products.”

Jimmer Fredette — who’s currently on a promotional book tour — says that following an underwhelming rookie season, he has improved his game quite a bit this summer. Fredette also claims that his mentality is a lot more suited to the NBA game and life heading into his second year. Per the Deseret News: “Fredette said his summer marriage to Whitney, a former BYU cheerleader, is the best decision he’s made and will help him in the NBA. He says marriage has changed him a lot and having a partner to share his ups and downs will prove valuable. ‘Whitney is an amazing girl and so supportive of me and now when I travel, she can travel with me so I don’t have to go at it alone and don’t have to worry about that part of my life and she will be there to support me just like I will be there to support her.‘ Fredette said thinking and worrying about basketball all the time can, sometimes, hurt a player. ‘The last three months has been great and I’m excited in what the future holds. Whitney is the best, she is so kind to everyone, understanding of my schedule and knowing what I have to do. She is supportive, just like I am with her.’ Fredette said his preparations for his second season in the NBA are far ahead of a year ago with a minicamp under his belt and knowledge of what he needs to do and what he cannot do. ‘Mentally, I’m more prepared.’ He said he’s worked extensively on his offense and defense, worked to create space and get his shot off quicker and worked on the pick-and-roll — a play he must master at that level. ‘I’m working on making floaters and other things that have to be a part of my game. I’m better than a year ago, my skills are better and I’m excited about the season and being part of it.’”

Of all the star-studded teams at the Under Armour Summer Jam in Milwaukee, the Utah Reign was certainly the most unique.

Instead of a roster full of all-conference or all-state players from different high schools spread across different cities and sometimes even different states, the Reign is made up solely of Lone Peak High School’s varsity roster. It’s rare to see club teams that consist of one high school team, but it’s even more unlikely to see them have a high amount of success wherever they travel.

Thanks to a trio of players committed to BYU, and a cast of steady role players, the Reign won five straight games before falling 52-49 to the Houston Defenders in the Elite Eight.

The Defenders backcourt consists of top-five nationally ranked twins, Andrew and Aaron Harrison, as well as a front line of Division I prospects—with the shortest guy being 6-7. Going up against teams such as the Defenders throughout the spring and summer is preparing Lone Peak for a run at three straight state titles, according to the BYU-bound starting backcourt of Nick Emery (6-2, Class of 2013) and TJ Haws (6-3, Class of 2014).

“Utah ball obviously isn’t as good as some of those teams in Milwaukee,” Emery said. “But playing against the bigger talent, and people who can jump higher and score the ball better, you really do find your weaknesses. It’s not easy, but that’s one thing we really work on—is what can we do to get better? Playing against different styles of basketball helps us grow as a team. No one is that tall back here.”

“Those guys are obviously really good,” said Haws, who scored 24 points in Lone Peak’s state title victory and was named 5A tourney MVP. “They’re super physical and that’s something I came away with from that game. That game was so physical. Even when a shot goes up or going to set a screen, everything was so physical and that hit me the game is really physical. They were so big and strong.”

“Our goal as a high school team is to win a state championship,” Haws added. “So, that’s the only reason we do all these trips. I think playing these teams and playing in these atmospheres really does help us a lot. It prepares us to play in state tournament-like games.

“Our first game in the playoffs (at the Summer Jam) we were up 20 and we let it slip a little bit. They came back and we had to fight to finish the game out with them having momentum. They tied the game up but we didn’t press the panic button and finished the game out.”

Both Emery and Haws can play both guard spots, but Emery impressed as a dead-eye shooting lefty while Haws knocked down shots from the perimeter as well as delivering flashy no-look dimes after penetrating into the teeth of the defense over the course of the five-day tournament.

As Haws has gotten older, he’s made a concerted effort to model his game after a slew of NBA point guards.

“Ever since I was little, Chauncey Billups has been my favorite player,” Haws said. “But as I’ve gotten older I’ve kind of started to like watching players like [Rajon] Rondo and Chris Paul. I like crafty point guards and I like watching the little things they do. I try and pick up as much as I can from those two.”

Emery is still deciding on whether he will go on a mission right out of high school, or after a year at BYU, but due to his potent scoring ability and similar size and stature to a former Cougar, fans have started to make some comparisons.

Emery welcomes the notion of being his BYU team’s version of Jimmer Fredette. He’s been working out with his older brother and former BYU standout, Jackson Emery, and also had the chance to work on his game with Jimmer himself.

“I’ve worked out with Jimmer and followed Jimmer a lot,” Emery said. “A lot of things in my game go with his game. I look up to him and all you can do is learn. I love watching other players and learning something, and Jimmer is one player I love watching. You might see a lot of his game in my game, but I want to carve out my own path.”

Emery and Haws have been teammates since they were in fourth and third grade, respectively, and they were joined last year at Lone Peak by an old pal.

Eric Mika, a 6-9 forward, may have been one of Summer Jam’s breakout players and was instrumental in the team’s success all weekend. An imposing presence in the paint, Mika was a terror on the glass and displayed an array of post moves. After playing with Emery and Haws in fifth and sixth grade, Mika didn’t start out at Lone Peak but transferred in before last year.

Mika led the Reign with 19 points in a Sweet 16 victory over the Wisconsin Swing, and was motivated by going up against Indiana-bound big man Luke Fischer, who was also ranked ahead of him by the national scouting services.

Skilled big men are hard enough to come by, but Mika played with a nasty streak that is sometimes even harder to find in post players and looks to be in line for a spike in his national ranking.

“I think about it a little,” Mika said. “When people tell me that I’m playing someone that’s ranked, I try and prove to people that I’m better than higher ranked players. But that’s not my only goal. I’m just trying to contribute what I can and do my job so that we win.

“I still need a lot of work. But obviously posting up is where I’ve been focusing everything on because that’s what I do for Lone Peak. I’ve been working hard on getting a lot of repetitions in the post on different moves, and being able to react to the defender and not just have a planned move every time.”

Lone Peak played at tournaments in Indiana and Boston last summer, Dallas and Philly in the Spring and then came to Milwaukee last weekend to test their skills against some of the country’s best players.

But the road show will continue during their high school season.

“I’m excited not only because I get to play with them one more season, but our season is going to be so fun,” Mika said. “We’re playing in Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, Orlando and then a tournament here in Utah. So we’re playing some big-time national competition and it’s going to be a lot of fun because we’ve worked so hard and prepared for it.”

Mika was the last to commit to BYU in December. When the Cougars offered, he didn’t take much time to make his decision, as both parents of his are alumni. He also has three older sisters and an older brother who are all currently attending BYU.

It was Emery, though, who opened the floodgates from this Lone Peak squad to Provo after committing at the end of last summer.

“It’s kind of funny because last August when I committed, I went over to TJ’s house,” Emery said. “I was like, Hey man, I’m committing to BYU and want you to come play with me. Me, Teej and Eric are best friends and one thing led to another, and it all led to BYU.”

With his college decision well behind him, club teams from the west began calling on Emery for his services. But the chance to play year round with Haws, Mika, Conner Toolson, Zach Frampton, Talon Shumway (BYU football commit) and the rest of Lone Peak made it a no brainer.

“AAU teams call me a lot and want me to play for them, and think I’ll do well with them,” Emery said. “My thing is always that I’m going to be playing with my high school team the most, so why don’t I play with them during the summer? I’ve played with our starting five for a while together. It’s just a benefit to go to these tournaments because it helps you know how you can play with your guys during the season.”

Emery said he plans on having a decision about when he will do his mission by the end of his senior year, while Mika and Haws both anticipate attending BYU for one season before going on theirs. Since Haws is a year behind Emery and Mika in school, it isn’t quite clear when all three will reunite following this upcoming season.

What is obvious though, is that they aren’t going to get sick of sharing the court together any time soon.

“No, I think all three of us are pretty dang excited to play with each other again,” Haws said with a laugh.

The pride and joy of Glens Falls, NY, Jimmer Fredette, has added another element to his resume: His own sneaker. Fredette has teamed up with Spalding to create the “Slash” which were released via web earlier this week. According to the official Spalding Slash product description, the new hoops sneaker is built with a lightweight mesh upper, high-abrasion carbon rubber outsole, and D30 shock absorption and rebound technology for cushioning and bounce. While the above photos feature a “Jimmer” badge, it is unclear whether that insignia will be released to the public. They retail for $90.

You know Spalding as the world’s largest basketball equipment supplier. Now, the brand has added a trio of young NBAers to serve as brand ambassadors. Sacramento Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette, Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers and Washington Wizards rookie Chris Singleton will each wear newly licensed Spalding sneakers this season. A few more details, from our friends at Spalding:

In addition to supporting Spalding’s existing basketball and equipment product line, the three athletes will also support the launch of a new licensed shoe and lifestyle apparel line that further expands the brand’s consumer footprint.

As part of the brand’s 2012 campaign, the trio of rising stars will appear in digital and print advertising as well as in-store signage. They will also wear the new Spalding signature shoe during game time. The three also join Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, a long-standing Spalding ambassador of basketballs and equipment.

“We are very pleased to announce that three young rising stars in the game, Jimmer Fredette, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Singleton, will be key members of our team,” added Gary Barfield, executive vice president, Russell Brands, LLC, the parent company of Spalding. “Not only are these players exciting to watch on the court, but they share Spalding’s values of teamwork, determination and all that is true to the game. They will help showcase Spalding and help us lead an even larger consumer audience to be part of Spalding’s tradition of innovation.”

Jimmer Fredette has struggled in his rookie season, but his coach insists that for the Sacramento Kings to be successful, Fredette has to look for his own shot more often. Per the Sac Bee: “Fredette, drafted 10th overall by Milwaukee and immediately traded to the Kings, is being asked to sort things out quickly and amid enormous hype and expectations. There hasn’t been a lot of time for teaching anywhere in the NBA, but here in Sacramento, his development has been further hampered by an abrupt coaching and philosophical change, along with an unbalanced roster burdened by reluctant passers and dribble-heavy players. So where does that leave Jimmer? During Saturday’s overtime win over Golden State, it left him on the bench for a second consecutive game and visibly disappointed. On most days, it leaves him trying to figure out how his leadership and shotmaking skills translate to the NBA. ‘I never sat out an entire game before,’ he admitted, ‘not even in high school, unless I was hurt or something. But I’m just trying to be a good teammate. I’ll keep working and finding ways to get better.’ Six weeks into the season, the Kings are convinced of this much: They regard the 6-2 Fredette as a shotmaker and superb deep shooter who will benefit immensely from a traditional offseason devoted to adding one-handed floaters and runners to his repertoire. One of his biggest problems is a tendency to overpenetrate and jump-stop in the lane, attracting clusters of defenders like teenagers to free cellphones. His conflict is partly attributable to the fact that he wants to be perceived as more than a one-dimensional gunner. Having been a floor leader throughout his career, he also is learning the nuances of moving without the ball, of understanding angles and how to utilize screens and ball/head fakes that freeze defenders. ‘We can work on the point guard (skills) this summer,’ said Smart, ‘and we want Jimmer to make plays. But when he comes off a pick, he has to take that shot. He needs to become a little selfish.’ Smart, who is energetic and resourceful, and intrigued by his team’s depth and talent despite the flaws, is giving Fredette the green light to shoot, with more than a nudge in the process. While the Kings still need a facilitator and an athletic small forward who can stretch the floor, the feeling is that Fredette can help fill a void by doing what he does best, namely, taking and converting open shots. ‘He makes it tough on himself because he wants to prove people wrong,’ said Kings assistant Bobby Jackson, ‘but I told him: ‘You’re not that fast or that athletic, but you have something a lot of guys don’t have – scoring ability. Stop trying to drive all the time.’ His outside shooting opens things up for Tyreke (Evans) and (DeMarcus) Cousins.’”

With only five games on yesterday’s dial, I was kind of worried we’d have a dearth of highlights to share today. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Between Miami’s video-game offense, Jimmer’s first three-pointer, Kobe’s nothing-will-ever-stop-me mindset and Portland’s fascinatingly undersized yet extremely productive frontcourt of LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace, there was an eclectic mix of talent on display. Tonight it gets really crazy, with 10 games on the schedule. We’ve got a playoff rematch between the Thunder and Grizzlies, the veteran Celtics on the road in New Orleans, a matchup of yesterday vs. tomorrow in Spurs-Clippers and the Heat taking on the Bobcats. Oh, and Melo and Co. visit Golden State, where you know Mark Jackson will be hyped. So, tonight’s gonna be amazing. But until then, let’s relish in the best of the best from last night. —Eldon Khorshidi

Jimmer Fredette is not a very good golfer. Last July, at the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe, Fredette finished dead last—in a field that included Charles Barkley.

But regardless of his score, when he’s out West, Jimmermania is still in full swing. Fans follow him with signs and swarm him for autographs. He’s the Michael Jordan of the Mountain Time Zone. Speaking of Jordan, the six-time World Champion was present at the aforementioned golf tourney. Fredette, a Jordan admirer like most basketball players, was all set to meet his idol.

MJ was surely well aware of the accomplishments of the newest Sacramento King; after all, the 6-2 guard from Brigham Young was college basketball’s must-see show last season. Fredette averaged 28.9 points per game during his senior year, on his way to being named National Player of the Year.

Never the fastest, tallest, strongest or most athletic player on the floor, the average-sized Fredette captured America’s imagination with his otherworldly range and electrifying scoring ability.

But on that July day in Lake Tahoe, most important of all was that Fredette had enough street cred to go up to Jordan and introduce himself. So what did Air Jordan say to Thin Air Fredette?

Nothing.

“I wasn’t able to talk to him because they had started the lockout,” Fredette says.

Welcome to the life of an NBA rookie during the lockout.

Before there was a lockout and before there was a golf outing and before there was Jimmermania, there was a basketball court in the backyard of the Fredette home in Glens Falls, NY.

At the time, Jimmer Fredette was far from a household name; he was still just trying to earn his household chops as a 4-year-old against his 11-year-old brother, TJ, on that court. Things did not go well.

“He would block me every time,” Jimmer says. “I would kick the fence and yell and scream to make sure he knew that I was upset.”

The younger Fredette wanted to win, needed to win. And as he got older, he altered the way he played to make sure he ended games less frequently with screams and fence kicking. As the shortest kid on the floor going against his brother and his friends, Fredette avoided rejection by sticking with long jumpers and scoop shots.

“It was almost like a mother that would lift up a car to save her child,” TJ says. “He wanted to win so bad that he would do things he shouldn’t even be able to do physically.”

But even that wasn’t enough to make up for the height and age gap at times. So one day Jimmer’s father, Al, came outside and drew a line on the court. His accompanying instructions: No one blocks Jimmer when he’s behind this line. The intention was to stop the blocked shots. The result was the unlimited range that now has him in the NBA.

“That was basically the only way I could get my shot off,” Jimmer says. “I knew I could shoot it from the outside, and I think since I was able to do that, it increased my range.”

That ability to hit a jumper made him a local sensation from an early age. When he was about 7 years old, he would show up at Glens Falls High School JV games and shoot around during halftime. “I’d see this short, pudgy little kid out on the court shooting three-pointers, and the crowd would cheer for him already,” says Tony Hammel, who would eventually become Fredette’s varsity basketball coach.

Glens Falls only has about 14,000 people, so it didn’t take long for word to get out about the “short, pudgy little kid” who can shoot. By the time he left for BYU, almost every resident had his or her own Jimmer story.

“One day I had my tennis racket and I was hitting balls against the tennis backboard in the local park when a bunch of kids came running around and Jimmer was one of them,” says Joe DeSantis, owner of Carl R’s, one of the small town’s local restaurants.

When he saw Jimmer and his friends, DeSantis remembers saying to them, “I bet none of you kids can hit a tennis ball off this backboard 20 times.”

One by one the kids tried until it was Jimmer’s turn. He choked way up on the throat of the racket and then stood really close to the backboard, tapping the ball 20 times in a row.

“I thought, That’s a talented kid,” DeSantis says.

Fredette was a phenomenon. He was the town’s hero. And even now that he’s all grown up and playing his ball out West, it’s still a Glens Falls ritual to watch their boy on the court.

“It’s almost like Super Bowl Sunday when you go to the bar and watch him play a game,” Hammel says.

In Jimmer’s senior season at Brigham Young University, Glens Falls got to host the Super Bowl. On December 8, 2010, BYU traveled to Fredette’s hometown to play Vermont.

The game was at the Glens Falls Civic Center, an arena that holds 4,806 fans. On that night, there were 6,300 people in the building. Lined up three-deep along the railing, the crowd gave Jimmer a two-minute standing ovation when his name was announced.

“It was very emotional because all of those people I grew up with and grew up loving,” Fredette says.

The hometown hero treated fans to 26 points, an 86-58 victory and a final chance to cheer on the kid who was going to make it.

“It just brings goosebumps even right now when I’m talking about it,” Hammel says.

—

Elliot Walden needed a name for his horse. The president and CEO of Winstar Farm in Kentucky, Walden was looking for a name that would suggest that his horse was a winner.

Pat Hammel, the wife of Fredette’s high school coach, worked for Bill Mott, a Hall of Fame horse trainer and one of Walden’s clients. She had an easy solution for Walden: Why not name it after Jimmer?

“She pitched the idea to me, and I thought it was a great idea,” Walden says. “His success and the way he carries himself are two characteristics we try to emulate here at Winstar, so we thought it would be a good fit.”

The horse, now a 2-year-old who will run his first race in 2012, was named Jimmer. It’s just the latest example of how the guard from upstate New York has become a national hero.

Fredette has seen it all. He says people have named babies, birds, cats, dogs and license plates after him. Despite his success at BYU, he doesn’t think that has much to do with the phenomenon.

“It’s just kind of funny to see how people have really taken interest in the name Jimmer,” says Fredette, whose birth name is James. “Even if they don’t like me as a player, they probably like the name.”

The name is unique to everyone who meets him for the first time. Even his future coach at BYU, Dave Rose, had to double check with Fredette on his name when they first met at the college’s camp for high schoolers. “He introduced himself to me as Jimmer,” Rose says. “I said, What do you want us to call you? And he says, ‘Jimmer.’”

For his first two-and-a-half seasons in Provo, UT, the name Jimmer was just a regional sensation. Thirteen games into his junior year, Fredette was averaging 19.5 ppg, strong numbers, but nothing to catch the nation’s attention.

But then Fredette and the Cougars took a December 28 trip to Tucson. By the time they returned, everything would be different.

“The night he got 49 his junior year at the McKale Center in Arizona, that discussion in the locker room with our coaches and the next day in the coaches’ meeting, everything changed,” Rose says. “We said, Let’s make sure we take advantage of this guy while we have him.”

The McKale Center opened in 1973 and the Arizona Wildcats had won a National Title and been to 28 NCAA Tournaments since, but no player had ever scored more points there in a single game than the visiting Fredette.

America, meet Jimmer.

Upon first encounter, it didn’t take long for the country to fall in love with him. Here was a player who looked like most of the gym rats at the YMCA but with a shooting touch that would make even Reggie Miller pause. Jimmer’s ability to go for 40 points almost any night from almost any spot on the court was even surprising to the man himself.

“I don’t think about it necessarily on the floor, but when I look at it afterward, I’m like, ‘Wow, why did I shoot that shot or how did I make that shot?’” Fredette says.

After that Arizona outburst came the horse names and the nightly Jimmer watch and the incessant requests for pictures and autographs—even from the rivals. “It’s amazing how many other schools in our state’s fans, I don’t know if they were cheering for Jimmer, but they did follow him,” Rose says.

But it wasn’t just the state of Utah. “Jimmer” was as common a term to college basketball fans across the country as “rebound” and “dribble.” He was getting compliments from Dirk Nowitzki and Aaron Rodgers, traveling the awards circuit across the country and coming to terms with the fact his free time was gone.

But what really connected Jimmer with his new following was how he went from small-town sensation to America’s golden boy with the smoothness of one of his jumpers.

“People just want Jimmer’s time, and it amazes me how he obliges everyone,” Rose says. “We all kind of say, ‘Hey Jimmer, we can get you out this way or go around this way.’ He’ll say, ‘No, no, no. If you give me five minutes, I’ll get through this.’”

It’s late October now, and Jimmer Fredette finally has his free time again. But he’d give it back in an instant to get on the court. The nothingness feels strange to him. He’s not used to having time to himself.

“It’s definitely different,” Fredette says. “I was on the go for so long and doing so many different things and suddenly everything stopped, and then I’m like, What do I do now?”

With a delayed start to his NBA career, all he could do is wait. He passed the time by hanging around the BYU campus, working out and spending time with his fiancé—his college girlfriend whom he proposed to in August.

But even planning a wedding can’t compare to the everyday circus that was his college career. “She keeps me updated, but I don’t really do much of the work,” Fredette says. “If she needs a hand in anything, obviously I help her out.”

And he had plenty of time to hear everything you doubters have said. How he can’t play in the NBA. How he’s a one-dimensional player who can only shoot. He heard it, and when the NBA season starts, he’s ready to garner a new following—NBA fans.

“I’ve been in a situation where I’ve been doubted my whole career, and being able to have to prove myself again is something I’m really excited about and looking forward to,” Fredette says. “Hopefully I’ll be able to play well and change a lot of people’s opinion.”

Avoid it if you must, but there’s no questioning social media’s transformational impact on how we experience basketball—as fans, media, players or coaches.

Before a game even tips off, fans have already checked-in on Foursquare, uploaded a picture of their seated vantage point to Facebook and perhaps tweeted about the ever-increasing price of concessions.

The media are sharing anecdotes and sound bites from their courtside perches, and receiving immediate feedback on their post-game stories. Fans can quickly share these recaps, advance the dialogue or Stumble it to websurfers with similar interests.

Immediately following the final post-game exchange with a reporter, players take to Twitter to thank fans, talk about their performance or provide a glimpse of access into their transient and often-envied lives via Tout or other video tools.

Coaches can diagram plays or describe, demonstrate and drill on YouTube. They can network on LinkedIn or share a motivational quote on Google+. They may even remind a player what time practice is the next day via Instant Messenger or the team’s Ning site.

The options are endless, the reasons are plentiful and the landscape is changing every day. No matter which way you shake it, social media is enhancing how we watch, analyze and interact with the game of basketball.

But don’t take it from us. We canvassed a cadre of bloggers, media, coaches and players to hear exactly how social media’s impacted their experience:

Players/Coaches

Anthony Davis, @AntDavis23, Freshman Forward at the University of Kentucky: “It connects me with a lot of different people; whether it be former teammates or guys who are in the League now—guys who are at the level where I’ve dreamed of being at.”

Chris Mack, @CoachChrisMack, Head Coach of Xavier University: “I try not to take it too seriously. It’s a lighthearted thing for me. If I find something funny, I’ll tweet it. I try to let people see my personality.”

Tristan Thompson, @RealTristan13, Rookie Forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers: “I don’t have a Facebook, but Twitter is a good way to stay connected to the fans and show them we appreciate them—without them, we are nothing.”

Iman Shumpert, @_IAM_Iman, Rookie Guard for the New York Knicks: “Social media has enhanced my basketball experience tremendously this summer by giving fans and critics insight on what I’m doing to stay prepared when the lockout is over. Building my brand was my goal this summer and I feel that I have done so by being able to give video and blog updates on Facebook, Twitter, and now updates in the NY Post!”

Jimmer Fredette, @JimmerFredette, Rookie Guard for the Sacramento Kings: “It really hasn’t changed my basketball on the court but off the court it has been good for building my brand and getting in touch with all of the college basketball fans. They’ve been great and social media has just enhanced it all.”

Austin Rivers, @AustinRivers25, Freshman Guard at Duke University: “It’s allowed me to interact with the fans more, especially with them being able to ask me questions. I enjoy the back and forth with our supporters.”

Ashton Gibbs, @AshtonGibbs12, Senior Guard at Pittsburgh University: “Twitter is easy communication with the world. Being an athlete, it’s good to have news on the go because we’re always moving. I think twitter is good as long as it’s positive news.”

Andre Barrett, @DreDay3Gs, Point Guard for Roanne, France: “If I had it when I was younger I think I would have definitely enjoyed it. I did the SLAM diary for one summer and everybody loved it because they got to know me as a person—but you had to go and buy the magazine.”

Perry Jones, @PerryJones3, Forward at Baylor University: “Just being able to communicate with other people that play basketball. If I don’t have their number or anything, I can hit them up on Twitter…also, other players who play high school basketball, college, and NBA—it has enhanced it and i can see how other people view basketball.”

Ramon Moore, @MoneMoore, Senior Guard at Temple University: “It helps you interact with your fans, friends, family and connects you to different people. Following professional athletes, you learn about the right things to say and if a fan says something you don’t agree then you carry yourself in mature way.”

Andre Dawkins, @dre_day20, Junior Guard at Duke University: “It helps us to interact with the fans. A lot of the fans follow us on Twitter, and they get a look into our lives and know what we do on a daily basis so they get a better appreciation for what we do.”

Sean Kilpatrick, @SK23_ESPN, Red-shirt Sophomore Guard at University of Cincinnati: “When you watch me on TV, that’s just the regular Sean you see—the basketball Sean. Not everyone gets to know the other side of Sean, so that’s the reason why I have it.”

Seth Curry, @sdotcurry, Junior Guard at Duke University: “The biggest thing social media has done is let me connect with the fans on a daily basis. They get to see what we’re like off the court, our sense of humor, and it’s a better way for us to interact with them.”

Aaron Brown, @2ABeezy2, Sophomore Shooting Guard at Temple University: “It’s good to stay in touch with friends, family, and fans. It’s also a good way to stay in touch with my favorite athletes and is just a great networking opportunity overall.”

Danny Jennings, @Mr_Jennings30, Red-shirt Junior at Long Beach State: “The media just shows you as a basketball player, but I just want people to follow me to see what type of person I am. The more people that know about it, the more people that don’t just know Danny the basketball player, but Danny the person.”

Durand Scott, @DScott_1, Junior Combo Guard at the University of Miami: “A lot. Twitter users are the ones who publicize me and it gives people who haven’t watched my games a glimpse of what I’m doing. I guess without them there wouldn’t be as much publicity as you would like there to be.”

Tyler Harris, @TylerHarris34, Freshman SG/SF at NC State: “Social media has given me the chance to learn about other players in the basketball world and for them to learn about at me. It’s always good to know who you are competing against.”

Media

Ben Osborne, @Bosborne17, Editor-in-Chief of SLAM Magazine (@SLAMOnline): “Personally, Twitter has made it possible to feel like I’m watching a big game with friends even if I’m alone at a bar or at home. And business-wise, it has been an incredible tool for SLAM to reach our readers with links, contests, etc.”

Bomani Jones, @Bomani_Jones, BomaniJones.com: “The thing is that most of us are stuck at our houses watching basketball games. With Twitter, all of a sudden it puts you inside of a bar—except you can hear yourself think.”

Andy Glockner, @AndyGlockner, Writer for SI.com: “I think the biggest thing is if you cultivate a smart group of followers, you realize their collective wisdom is unbelievable. Whenever I watch a game, there’s not a play or scenario that can’t be discussed, debated and analyzed in amazing fashion. You always end up with clarification or an answer you didn’t know or better perspective as a fan and as a writer.”

Ian Begley, @IanBegley, Sportswriter for @ESPNNewYork: “Great to follow some of the top basketball writers in the country on twitter and get a sampling of their viewpoints in real time.”

Nate Jones, @JonesOnTheNBA, Digital Marketing and Pro Athlete Marketing @GoodwinSports: “Social media has enhanced my basketball experience by bringing smart fans from all over the globe together to comment on hoops real-time.”

Tas Melas, @TasMelas, The Score/The Basketball Jones: “Only medium that can make a Bobcats-Raptors Blowout bearable. Jokes. Insights. Brilliant ideas from both the famous and just plain old fans.”

Chad Babel, @ChadBabel, Director @TheHoopGroup: “The biggest thing that social media has done has been to decentralize peoples opinions. You know what people are thinking right when they tweet it, which makes their opinion more genuine and gives you a look into their thought process.”

Matt Norlander, @MattNorlander, Writer for CBSSports.com: “The entire process of watching—or, sometimes in my case, attending—games has been drastically altered because of Twitter. You get widespread, immediate reaction, and Twitter’s the absolute best during big games. I’ve heard someone say Twitter’s the best sports bar ever, and it really is. There’s this communal, instant reaction, and it’s great.”

Jonathan Givony, @DraftExpress, Founder/Owner of DraftExpress.com: “It’s fun. I think a lot of times when your watching a game—the NCAA Tournament, the NBA Playoffs, or whatever it may be—it’s a lot more entertaining to see what people have to say on Twitter instead of listening to the broadcasters on TV.”

Peter Robert Casey is the community manager for fivestarbasketball.com, former social media specialist for the New York Knicks and first media-credentialed microblogger in college basketball history. Email: Peter@PeterRobertCasey.com.

Jeremy Bauman is the associate community manager for fivestarbasketball.com, an IU Alum and basketball aficionado who blogs about everything basketball at SLAMonline.com. If you have any inquiry at all, he can be reached by email at jsbauman13@gmail.com.

Basketball never stops has been the motto of the 2011 NBA Lockout. And, apparently, rookie hazing doesn’t either. Sacramento Kings forward Donté Greene hosted a charity game for Kings fans at the UC Davis Pavilion last night and forced rookies-to-be Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas into a dance-off during halftime. The winner might surprise you.

ATLANTA (Nov. 7, 2011) – With 10 players from four different universities, The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads the 2011-12 Naismith preseason watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. This year’s list includes the top men’s college basketball players from 34 schools around the country.

The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2012 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy will be awarded at the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.

Two teams – UNC and Kentucky – boast four players each on the list, while three schools – Connecticut, Ohio State and Vanderbilt – each have three players. The list represents 14 different athletic conferences and features 28 upperclassmen and 22 underclassmen.

“Between conference realignments, rule changes and an incredible amount of talent at the college level this year, the 2012 Naismith Player of the Year is truly anybody’s for the taking,” said Eric Oberman, Atlanta Tipoff Club executive director. “We’re excited to be a part of such an historic year in college basketball and look forward to crowning the best player in college basketball in April.”

In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.

Other notable Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year winners include Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and last year’s winner, Jimmer Fredette. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s player of the year.

Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette hosted a rookie All-Star game of sorts at BYU in Provo, UT early this fall. Following his 27 points (9-20 FG) and 10 assists, the former Cougar got an incredible send off from more than 11,000 enthusiastic fans. Also featured in this Mars Reel tape are first-round picks Kemba Walker (23 points), Nolan Smith (30 points), Kenneth Faried (23 points, 17 rebounds), Bismack Biyombo.

Since selecting Tyreke Evans with the fourth overall pick in 2009, the Kings’ arrow has been pointing up. OK, so maybe more diagonal, as their record since drafting Evans is a dismal 49-115, but big-time progress has still been made. Paul Westphal was brought in to coach the team before the 2009 season, and while the record certainly doesn’t suggest it, he could have the Kings ready to strike in the Western Conference awfully soon.

This progress can’t come fast enough for the Kings’ fan base, which has seen nothing but failure following dominant play in the early 2000s. Those teams were led by guys like Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac and Doug Christie, but when their run of success ended after the ’05-06 season, the Kings quickly fell to the basement of the West. Thanks to poor drafting (Francisco Garcia, Quincy Douby and Spencer Hawes were their first-round picks from 2005-’07), Sacramento had next to no young talent, leaving fans to long for the glory days when CWebb would sprain an ankle and miss at least 10 games.

But Sacramento’s front office has pulled it together over the past few years, and the Kings might have the best developing young talent in the NBA. Yes, I said it. They drafted Jason Thompson in 2008, Evans in 2009, DeMarcus Cousins in 2010 and Jimmer Fredette in this year’s Draft. Former Rookie of the Year Evans has developed into one of the League’s best guards, and though he battled injury throughout most of last season, he was still able to average nearly 18 points, 5.5 assists and 5 boards per game. Cousins took a little while to find his groove in his rookie campaign last season, but when he turned it on, it was absolutely scary. He scored a double-double in 19 of his final 37 games, and ultimately ended up with a 14 points and 8.5 boards a game.

Thompson and Jimmer are wild cards for Sacramento. Thompson, a former lottery pick, hasn’t lived up to expectations, but he hasn’t been bad either. He’s a big (6-11, 250), athletic dude who can contribute with some really solid minutes, though it doesn’t look like he’ll ever turn into a consistently productive starter. Fredette, who dominated college basketball to the tune of 28.5 points per game last season, will be very interesting to watch in his rookie season. His shooting ability is undeniably incredible, but his size and mediocre D could limit him to being a career role player.

They’ve also been able to add significant talent via trade. They picked up guard Marcus Thornton from the Hornets in exchange for Carl Landry in February. Thornton averaged over 21 points per game in 27 games as a King. They stayed busy during the offseason; in late-June they swapped sharpshooter Omri Casspi for forward JJ Hickson. Hickson averaged nearly 14 points and 9 boards in 2010 with the Cavs, and really picked it up after the All-Star break, as he averaged 17 and 11 during the second half of the season. They also traded for John Salmons, who averaged 14 points per game last season, in a draft day move that sent backup point guard Beno Udrih out of town.

So what does all of this roster management mean for the team that had the second-worst record in the West last season? It means that whenever the ’11-12 season kicks off, Sacramento comes in with a potential starting lineup of Evans, Thornton, Thompson, Hickson and Cousins. Their second unit will feature Jimmer, Salmons and Donte Greene. It means that the players under contract for next year plus soon-to-be rookies (who haven’t actually signed yet) have an average age of 23.8. It means that including rookie salaries and excluding players whose contracts expired at the end of last season, the Kings’ payroll should be roughly $35 million next season, $23 million less than the ’10-11 cap (it will certainly change with a new CBA agreement). Over $14 million, or roughly 40 percent of the payroll, will be going to Salmons (owed $8.5 million this season) and 29-year-old Garcia (owed $5.8 million).

Within two years, both of which seemed like failures on the surface, the Kings have stockpiled players with massive upside at every position, and then some. If Fredette can contribute as a consistent scorer, he could join Evans, Thornton and maybe even Salmons as guys with the potential to drop 20 on any night. Plus they can match size with any team in the League, as starting Thompson at small forward alongside Hickson and Cousins would give them three serious rebounders without sacrificing athleticism.

Of course the Kings most likely won’t pull a ’09-10 Oklahoma City Thunder turn-around and improve from 25 wins to 50. But the foundations for success are clearly there. Just like the Thunder, led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Kings have two real stars in Evans and Cousins—though neither is close to Durant’s level at this point. But the argument could be made that Sacramento has a better offensive supporting cast around their two studs than OKC does. Where the Thunder have just one legitimate scoring threat in James Harden behind Westbrook and KD, the Kings have Thornton, Salmons and Fredette behind Evans and Cousins. Don’t forget about Hickson, who scored 20 or more points in 19 of his final 39 games last season.

The Kings’ outlook could also be likened to that of the Chicago Bulls a few years ago. Starting with a terrific little-big duo in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, the Bulls have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference just three years into Rose’s career.

If Sacramento wants to shoot up the ranks like the Thunder and Bulls have recently, they’re going to need to start playing defense. They tied for 24th in the League in points allowed last season, a number that will obviously need to improve going forward. Re-signing veteran center Samuel Dalembert could certainly help, but the move toward a stronger defense will have to be one that the core players make. Cousins and Hickson have the potential to be dominant in the low post and Thompson can create some serious mismatches. But everybody is going to need to start playing to their full potential if the team wants to return to where they were from 2000-’04, when they averaged 57.5 wins per season over the four-year stretch. Perhaps second-round pick Tyler Honeycutt can help out defensively, as he averaged a steal and 2 blocks per game with UCLA last season.

Only the Suns allowed more field goals than the Kings last season, despite the fact that Sacramento gave up the eighth fewest three-pointers (Phoenix ranked 26th in that category). This means that the interior defense simply was not tough enough, and if they want to challenge physically huge teams like the Lakers and Mavericks, the post defense has to be better. This largely rests on the shoulders of Cousins. If the Kings want to return to their dominant form, it has to start with DeMarcus Cousins in the middle.

Going forward, the Kings have a lot to build on. They finished last season with eight wins in their final 15 games. They ranked fourth in the NBA in rebound differential, a stat that should improve with Hickson’s arrival as well as the development of Cousins. Offensively, they finished in the middle of the pack in points per game, but with Fredette and Salmons now around, their 99.4 points per game should increase at least slightly. The Champion Mavericks put up 100.2 points per contest last season, so it’s clear some defense could really go a long way in Sacramento.

If DeMarcus Cousins can get his off-the-court act together (he was removed from the team plane after a post-game altercation with Greene in February) and Evans can stay on the court for 82 games (he missed 37 in his first two seasons), they have a chance to form one of the great young duos in the NBA. No team in the League, save the Clippers with Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin, has a guard and big man, both 22 years old or younger, who can produce offensively like these two can, and with an equally young supporting cast now in place, the pieces are truly there for Sacramento improve rapidly.

Keeping in mind that teams in the West like the Suns, Blazers, Rockets and Hornets are on the decline while the Jazz and Nuggets enter a re-building mode, the opportunity for the Kings to slip into the Playoffs is there. Plus, the Spurs, Lakers and Mavericks are certainly powerhouses for now, but will no doubt decline in coming years. A new wave of Western Conference teams will rise up, and while the Thunder will certainly be at the forefront of the movement, the Kings could be right behind them sooner than you think.

Social Media played a major role to keep the Kings in Sacramento for at least one more year. And now, it’s playing a vital role to bring basketball back to California’s capital during the NBA Lockout.

Kings forward Donté Greene is organizing a charity exhibition game for the Sacramento region, thanks in large part to Twitter. A Sacramento Kings fan tweeted the idea yesterday to Greene, who took the message to heart and put the thought into action.

Speaking to KHTK Radio in Sacramento this afternoon, Greene said he’s already reached out to a number of NBA players who are interested in playing in the game dubbed the Goon Squad Classic. Greene said Kings teammates DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside, Jason Thompson and rookie Isaiah Thomas have expressed their desire to play. The Kings forward also said that Washington Wizards point guard John Wall has interest as well.

“We’re definitely going to go out there and play,” Greene said in a phone interview on the Carmichael Dave Show. “It won’t be no nonchalant game. I’ma tell guys let’s come out and put on a show. Give the fans something to look forward to.”

New Kings big man JJ Hickson announced on Twitter last evening that he would play, too. Greene has also extended invitations to DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers, Jonny Flynn of the Houston Rockets, Matt Barnes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings teammates Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette.

“I don’t think he wants the upper-decker so he might want to show up to the game,” Greene said jokingly of a rookie hazing ritual Fredette could face if he doesn’t play.

Planning is still in the early stages, so a venue is still up in the air. With the ongoing labor strife between players and owners, Power Balance Pavilion is off limits. Greene said the Pavilion on the campus of UC Davis, which seats 8,000 at maximum capacity, is his preferred option.

“Right now there’s nothing set in stone,” Greene said. “Everything is (a) blueprint. UC Davis isn’t even set. That’s just a site I would like to host it at. But we’re still in talks with them.”

Greene would like to host the game the weekend before Thanksgiving, just a few days before the NBA season is scheduled to start if a new labor deal is reached in time. He’s hoping to get tickets on sale by November 1st.

Charities for the game are still being determined. However, the Kings forward said he would like some of the proceeds to go towards breast cancer awareness.

“That’s my charity (because) my mom had breast cancer,” he said. “That would be one of the charities that I’m definitely going to donate to is breast cancer.”

Sponsorship for the game is also being explored. Greene sent an open invitation to local Sacramento businesses to get involved. But he also said he will reach out to Nike, which has been sponsoring many of the exhibitions that have been played during the lockout.

“Nike sponsors most of the games and of course I’ll call Nike try to get them to sponsor this game,” Greene said. “Basketball Never Stops—that’s the slogan.”

The ’10-11 NBA regular season was jam packed with amazingly unforgettable moments, but if you had to select a single one and call it “best,” you’d struggle to do better than the end of an otherwise meaningless Kings-Grizzlies contest on December 29.

Here’s what transpired: His side up one with just 5.5 ticks remaining in the fourth quarter, Memphis guard OJ Mayo catches a Mike Conley inbounds pass, puts down two awkward dribbles and sinks a clutch fall-away J at the top of the key, lifting his team to a 98-97 lead with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. As members of the Grizz hop up and down in joy and saddened Kings fans drop their heads in all-too-familiar disappointment, DeMarcus Cousins tosses the ball in to Tyreke Evans, who appears to be the only—or at least the first—player on the floor competent enough to realize that his squad has zero timeouts, meaning a quick Hail Mary-esque heave would be its only chance at an unlikely victory. Slightly after his 60-or-so foot lob goes up, the buzzer sounds, the roundball snaps through Memphis’ net, and the Kings’ bench—led by Donte Green, whose celebration, for some odd but hilarious reason, began as soon as the rock left Evans’ hands—storms the court in a fit of excitement. On cue, Reke throws his arms in the air and hops on to the scorer’s table, leading the ecstatic arena in an unexpected but incredibly welcomed celebration.

“We shoot those at practice and at shootarounds,” says Evans, phoning in from Santa Monica, CA, where he spent the summer. “I’m always the one that’s making ’em, and everyone knows me for making those shots. I didn’t think it was going in, but I knew it had a chance.”

Aside from that high point, the rest of the Kings’ season featured little worth remembering. The above W pushed their record up to a still-embarrassing 6-23, and the team finished at 24-58, even worse than the lowly 25-57 mark it accomplished a year earlier. Evans, meanwhile, struggled to maintain the momentum he gained during his Rookie of the Year campaign in ’09-10. After putting up outstanding numbers of 20.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 5.8 apg—becoming just the fourth player to average 20-5-5 as a rookie, along with Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James—his sophomore stats dipped to 17.8, 4.8 and 5.6, while his field goal percentage fell from .458 to .409.

Evans played only 57 games during ’10-11, bothered consistently by plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation in his left heel. “When he would wake up in the morning, he couldn’t walk on his foot to go to the bathroom,” says Lamont Peterson, a strength and conditioning coach who’s worked with the 6-6, 220-pound guard since he was in junior high. “He had to limp to the bathroom. He has a very high tolerance level, so he can play through almost anything, but it got to the point where it affects him pushing off. It affected him from setting up his shot, affected his follow-through. His game is dominated by his foot play, so if you don’t have your feet, how can you do anything?”

“It was like someone stabbed [my foot] with a knife,” Evans confirms. “It was a tough season for me.”

Post-All-Star Weekend treatment sidelined the Chester, PA, native until late March, when he participated in a handful of tilts but never developed a solid rhythm. Since May, though, he’s returned to the hardwood with force. He’s back at 100 percent, according to both himself and trainer Rob McClanaghan, who’s been working with Reke all summer. In mid-July, Evans traveled to the Philippines with a solid crew of players—including Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose—where he took part in the Ultimate All-Star Weekend, a pair of “friendly” games between NBAers and local Philippine hoopers.

“It was my first time out there,” Evans says. “I had a good time.The fans were great. The whole atmosphere was great. People were waiting outside the gym, outside the arena, trying to get in. It was crazy. Playing with Kobe and the guys who went out there, it was fun.”

But Reke’s actual work has been taking place in the States. Evans has stationed himself in L.A. (the previous couple of summers he migrated back and forth between Cali and his hometown in Pennsylvania), and has been working out daily with both Peterson and McClanaghan, the latter of whom also trains the likes of Rose, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.

McClanaghan was anxious to delve into what makes the 22-year-old so special. “Tyreke has unbelievable potential,” he explains. “He changes speeds very well, so he’s very tough to guard. He has unbelievable handle. Having said that, he’s a big guy. He’s a tall point guard and he’s very strong, with long arms. When he’s coming through the lane, he’s not really blowing by you per se, but when he gets you on his hips he’s so strong his guy just bounces off him. So he’s going down the lane and he’s like a pinball machine—guys are bouncing off of him left and right. And he’s even more athletic—he might do that and then dunk on you.”

If you were dared to find a knock in his skill set, it wouldn’t require much of an investigation—Evans shot just 27.3 percent from three during his first two seasons, allowing defenders to sag off and challenge him to make outside shots. Which is especially strange, because during Reke’s younger years, the long ball was his specialty. “His best weapon was his three ball in his senior year [of high school],” says Tony Bergeron, who coached Evans while he was at Aston (PA) American Christian and acting as this magazine’s high school diarist. “The start of his senior year, we sat down in the summer and we talked and we went to work crazy, and he bought into the three. He was about 33.5 points a game as a senior, and you can imagine what defenses they threw at him. His first three games as a senior, he had 50 points all three games.”

Peterson also witnessed all of this first hand. “If anyone’s watched Reke since 8th grade,” he says, “the best part of his game has always been his jumper. In high school, a three-pointer, that was a layup for him.” He believes Evans lost his range during his single year playing NCAA ball, when then-Memphis head coach John Calipari emphasized the dribble-drive. “That’s where he went away from his pull-up,” Peterson continues. “In the League, as you see, he’s unguardable when he attacks the basket. The only weakness in his game is inconsistency from the perimeter. This summer he dedicated himself to just getting a lot of shots up. That’s the thing—when he’s in a rhythm, he’s consistent.”

“I just spoke to him a few weeks ago in L.A.,” Bergeron says, “and I said, ‘Reke, you’re abandoning your jumpshot.’ He said, ‘Coach, if the first one or two go in, I shoot it. If not, I’m going to the rim.’”

Regardless of the extent of the long-range improvement, the Kings’ coaching staff, which has relied heavily on Evans’ ball-handling the past two years, has some strategic decisions to make. The franchise selected popular scoring machine Jimmer Fredette with the 10th pick in the 2011 Draft, a move that could unfold a number of ways. For one, Fredette’s long-distance prowess will unquestionably come in handy if he’s positioned as an off-guard, where he’ll have plenty of opportunities to take full advantage of the double- and triple-teams that fall Reke’s way as he navigates toward the rack. “I do get a lot of double teams,” Evans admits with a chuckle. “When I kick it out, he could make that shot.”

On the flip, if the BYU product does log some time at PG, Evans could be moved to the 2, using his speed to take slow(er)-footed off guards and small forwards off the dribble. Of course, there’s a single damning possibility: Fredette is utilized at the point, he nonetheless attempts to shoulder the squad’s scoring load, and the two guards never jell properly. And jell they’ll need to if there’s going to be any success in California’s capital during the ’11-12 season.

The season itself is its own matter. “If we could get the season going—even if it’s just half the season—I just want to play,” Evans says. Signing a deal overseas is a logical option and is being explored by his agent, Arn Tellem, and his older brother, Reggie Evans. (The latter is a big part of “Team Tyreke,” the four family members—brothers Reggie, Julius a.k.a. “Doc,” and Pooh, and cousin Temetrius—who have guided Tyreke since he was a childhood prodigy in Chester. Reke says they’re as involved with his life now as they were when he was in grade school.)

With his body finally behaving, skills steadily sharpening, Sacramento’s leader can’t afford to lose any more of the beginning of his prime away from the court. He’ll have the Spalding in his hands in some context, but youthful groups like the Kings have plenty to lose from this stalemated mess, as they need time—together—to grow accustomed to both one another and the pro game. Evans won’t predict when a resolution will come—he’s told multiple media outlets that team members may meet up for an unofficial training camp, though nothing was in the works as of this writing—but he’ll gladly speak on what his personal status will be when the owners and players finally shake hands once and for all.

“I’m just trying to be in the best shape, and go out there and do what I can do,” he proclaims, a subtle confidence in his voice. “Just trying to get back out there and work extra hard on my game. I’ll be ready for the season.”

Though The Jimmer dropped 27 points, his team lost in the exhibition game.The Sac Bee reports: “With NBA players locked out during the labor dispute, Fredette, the the first-round pick acquired by the Kings on draft day hosted Jimmer’s All-Stars, an exhibition game featuring rookies at BYU’s Marriott Center, where Fredette starred. The game included eight first-round picks from June’s NBA draft. Fredette was happy about how things turned out even though he did something that he didn’t do much of in recent seasons here – he lost. Team Leonard, led by former San Diego State star and San Antonio Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard, defeated Team Fredette 140-126. When asked if the loss hurt, Fredette said: ‘A little bit. It’s a lot less than in the season. It’s just a fun event to kind of measure ourselves against great competition.’ An announced crowd 11,124 attended the event. Fredette had hoped the game would draw around 10,000 fans. The game was a final goodbye for Fredette’s fans at BYU. There were several replicas of his No. 32 jersey throughout the arena. When Fredette checked out of the game with 52.7 seconds to play, he received a standing ovation as he acknowledged the crowd. Fredette finished with 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. ‘To come in here and have that many people here on a Thursday night to watch this event doesn’t happen,’ said San Diego State coach Steve Fisher, who coached Team Leonard. ‘It happened in Provo because of that guy (Fredette). It happened in Provo because of (BYU coach) Dave (Rose) and what they’ve done with this program.’ Fredette said he hadn’t discussed the idea of making the game an annual event. For now, the event was a pleasure, considering no one knows when NBA activity will begin because of the lockout.”

Kemba Walker will join The Jimmer in a pair of charity games taking place in Utah later this month. Reports the Salt Lake Tribune: “Walker was confirmed Wednesday to participate in two exhibition games hosted by Fredette. Walker, a rookie guard and former Connecticut standout, was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats with the ninth overall pick during the 2011 NBA Draft. Fredette was taken No. 10 by the Sacramento Kings. ‘I have always been a big fan and have a lot of respect for Kemba,’ Fredette said in a press release. ‘We had the chance to work out together before the draft and have become friends.’ The charity games will be held Sept. 21 (Salt Lake City) and 22 (Provo). Other participating players will be announced during the coming weeks.”

The drafting of Jimmer Fredette has made things somewhat complicated not just for the Sacramento Kings, but also Tyreke Evans. ‘Reke would like some clarification when it comes to his role now on the squad. From Yahoo! Sports: “Did the Kings really need another scoring guard? Evans has welcomed the addition of Fredette, college basketball’s consensus 2011 national player of the year. But a month after the draft, Evans also has some questions: Is he still the Kings’ starting point guard? Or, is he being moved to shooting guard to make room for the heralded rookie? Team officials gave Evans no answers after the draft, and they can’t speak to him until after the lockout ends. ‘I don’t know how we are playing it,’ Evans said. ‘Am I going to be the point? Is he going to be the point? At the end of the day, whatever one they lead me to, I’m just ready.’”

From Michael Jordan to Jerry Rice, some of the biggest names in pro sports take part in the American Century Championship each year. The annual Lake Tahoe golf tournament wrapped up Sunday with soap star Jack Wagner edging Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo for his second title in the event’s 22-year history. Check out photos of the event above.

The Jimmer, not too shockingly, is a hit with the Mormons in Sacramento (something the Maloofs are without a doubt happy about.) The Bee takes a look: “During his recent whirlwind stop in Sacramento, Jimmer Fredette made a point to speak with some of his biggest supporters: local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Along with the usual questions about basketball, they asked the Kings draft pick about his plans as a church member. Fredette said he would become active in his ward. He said he’d speak at Sacramento area church youth group meetings. He told them his faith is an important part of his life. His audience liked what they heard. ‘A lot of people who may have gone to a game or two are now buying season tickets,’ said local businessman and active church member John Stone, who attended the gathering at Power Balance Pavilion. Others listened via conference call. ‘You can’t underestimate how popular he is in the church.’ Though he has yet to knock on anyone’s front door, Fredette, 22, has been called the greatest Mormon missionary in the world. He may some day become the face of the Kings franchise, but he is already one of the most visible faces of his faith.”

Assuming the ’11-12 season actually goes down, who do you see being the best rookie of the bunch? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The Kings added Jimmer Fredette to their backcourt during last week’s Draft, but according to the NY Daily News, they’re still interested in making a play for point guard/restricted free agent Aaron Brooks: “With Jimmer Fredette’s addition to a backcourt featuring Tyreke Evans, Sacramento doesn’t have a playmaker, but the answer might come in free agency, whenever that is. The Kings plan on making a pitch for the Suns’ Aaron Brooks, who is restricted. Phoenix made him a qualifying offer on Thursday.”

Kings fans need a hero and, as the Sacramento Beereports, it looks like rookie Jimmer Fredette has been given that responsibilty: “The Jimmer jet officially touched down in Sacramento around 5 p.m. Friday afternoon, carrying Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette, and the scene at Sacramento International Airport was fit for a rock star of Bono’s ilk, not a smiling 22-year-old from upstate New York. Welcome to the Jimmer Show. A few hundred people crowded around baggage claim at Terminal A for a glimpse of the former BYU star, who was acquired by the Kings in the first round of Thursday’s NBA draft. The newest addition to the Kings roster arrived with three handlers at his side and lived up to descriptions of his demeanor, remaining calm and at ease in the face of a media horde.”

Kings guard Tyreke Evans was back in Sacramento Thursday and Friday hosting a two-day youth basketball camp. Following the aftermath of the 2011 NBA Draft, Evans gave his take on the reacquisition of John Salmons and the selection of new backcourt teammate, Jimmer Fredette.

Utah and its fans didn’t get their wish of drafting The Jimmer, but the Kings certainly aren’t complaining about their pick of Fredette. From the Sac Bee: “Fredette might have been the most popular player in college basketball last season, hence Jimmermania and the following that he developed nationwide. Fredette was selected 10th by Milwaukee, then traded as part of a three-team deal that sent guard Beno Udrih to Milwaukee and brought John Salmons back to the Kings. As part of the deal, the Kings relinquished their seventh pick to the Charlotte Bobcats … Fredette told reporters in New York the attention he’s received leading up to the draft is nothing new. ‘I think a lot of it just has to do with this last year in college,’ Fredette said. ‘How things exploded and the media just really took a hold of our season and myself, and it’s continuing.’ In addition to adding Fredette, the trade helped the Kings at small forward. ‘(Salmons) had long stretches where he was probably our best player … better than the ones we’ve had recently,’ said Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie. ‘And I think with Jimmer, we get one of the most exciting players in college basketball.’ Fredette averaged 28.9 points as a senior and was the consensus National Player of the Year. Fredette arguably had the best range of any shooter in the draft. Fredette, who made 39.6 percent of his three-point attempts last season, will be expected to play significant minutes as a rookie now that Udrih has gone to Milwaukee. ‘We think he’ll fit in really well with our roster,’ said Kings coach Paul Westphal of Fredette. ‘I hesitate to say until we get out there and get after it, but I think of him as a point guard. He plays the pick-and-roll really well. He’s a good passer, obviously he’s a great shooter.’”

Whassup, peoples?! It’s Lang, out of my retirement home and on the case, at least for one night.

I’m here in Newark at the NBA Draft 2011, and I’ll be liveblogging tonight’s proceedings so that we have some sort of historical record of how things go. Thus far, all I can tell you is that the tacos in the media dining room would definitely be a second round selection. Also, they don’t have wireless internet available for the media sitting in front of the stage — they actually have dozens of hardwire connections, which I am told actually works much better. My only problem is that my computer is a MacBook Air, which only uses wireless, so I had to swing a three-team deal involving secret passwords to get some wireless action out here in the seating area. I apologized for using a computer made within the last year.

While we were stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel coming from NYC to Jersey, news of the night’s first trade broke: Three-way deal between Sacto, Milwaukee and the BETcats. The Kings got John Salmons and the number 10 pick, Milwaukee got Stephen Jackson, Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston and the number 19 pick, and the BETcats get Corey Maggette and the number 7 pick. Brandon and StackJack are gonna shut down the tattoo game up in Wisconsin.

Right now the ESPN pregame show is happening live behind us, but we can’t really hear anything they’re saying. So it’s just a bunch of talking and then an occasional burst of weird music. Not sure when the actual drafting begins.

• We’re experiencing technical difficulties up in here. Now I’m using Tzvi’s computer, and he’s using mine. I’m also nominating myself for best-dressed, because I’m wearing a madras shirt. (I’m going on vacation tomorrow. CAN I LIVE?)

• OK< we’re about to start. The TV feed on all the press tables just went out. So that’s cool. David Stern takes the stage, and he just got booed. He asked the crowd to give it up for New Jersey, which they did.

• Highlights of LeBron just came on over the scoreboard, and he got a bigger boo than Stern. And he’s not even here.

• According to the TV on the press table, the first pick is…static!

• Big crowd here in Jersey, more than come for most Nets games, I’m told.

• And here we go…with the FIRST PICK in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select Kyrie Irving. Kyrie takes the stage, shakes Stern’s hand and tucks his left hand into his pocket for the commemorative photo.

• Just realized comments were off. No wonder nobody was complaining in the comments section! They’re back on now, you guys.

• The Draft hats tonights are fitteds, which is a good look. Not as good a look are the front of the hats, which appear to be airbrushed.

• With the SECOND PICK, the L-Wolves select, RICKY RUBIO! Oh wait, no, the Wolves selected Derrick Williams from Arizona (dark suit, red tie, understated). Williams pointed up into the stands to a couple of people wearing ‘Zona gear.

• The Jazz are up next. I guess taking Jimmer here would be a reach, but man that would be awesome if they took Jimmer here.

• With the THIRD PICK, the Utah Jazz select…Enes Kanter! He didn’t play at Kentucky last year. Big dude.

• I couldn’t hear exactly what he said, but I think Stu Scott just said Kanter would like to be a WWE wrestler after his NBA career is over. Or maybe I just wanted to hear him say that.

• With the FOURTH PICK, the Cavs select Tristan Thompson, my favorite member of the Thompson Twins, eliciting a roar from the crowd in Jersey. First reach of the Draft?

• With the FIFTH PICK, the Raptors select Jonas Valanciunas. Not sure how that’s gonna fit on a jersey. He’s wearing an aggressively tailored suit, so he’s got that going for him.

• Lithuania in the house! Lots of people with Lithuania flags in the crowd.

• With the SIXTH PICK, the Wiz take Jan Vesely, who stands and receives a kiss from his girl, which brings down the house. Vesely was awesome in The Social Network, by the way.

• SEVENTH is the Kings, picking for the BETcats. And the pick is…Bismack Biyombo! He looks genuinely thrilled, hugging everyone at his table and threatening to snap everyone in half. His hands look like meat hooks. His nickname has to be Bismack-E, right?

• Nobody beats the Bis!

• Shot of Jimmer in the green room gets a huge cheer here in the arena.

• OK, the Pistons with the EIGHTH PICK, select Brandon Knight from Kentucky. I don’t really have anything to say here.

• The BETcats are up next with the 9th pick…and they select Kemba Walker, which gets a huge cheer here in the arena. He’s wearing a suit that matches his BETcats hat. He’s also rocking some saddle shoes that are beige with pink accents.

• The Kings are up next with the TENTH pick…and they select JIMMER!! Crowd erupts. I’m not really sure how he fits there, but it’s always a good idea to take a guy named Jimmer if there’s a guy named Jimmer available. Between Jimmer, Salmons and Tyreke, the Kings have a lot of high-volume scorers on their roster.

• Halfway through round one. I just ran to the restroom and then around to grab a bottle of water from the press room, and I crossed paths with an ebullient Derrick Coleman. Once a Net, always a Net.

• Word is apparently tweeting out that the Pacers picked Leonard for the Spurs, and will trade him for George Hill. Like that for Spurs, not so much for Pacers.

• With the SIXTEENTH PICK, the Sixers take Nikola Vucevic, a two-time rebounding leader at USC. I’d probably know about that if I watched more than 15 college games a year.

• The Knicks are on the clock with the SEVENTEENTH PICK, and the place is getting a little rowdy.Stern takes a extra-long walk to the podium, and announces that the Knicks select…Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech…and boos erupt.

• With the EIGHTEENTH PICK, the Wizards select Chris Singleton from FSU. He’s the last guy remaning in the green room…seems to have a little Turiaf swag going with his goatee.

• With the NINETEENTH PICK, the BETcats pick for the Bucks, and select Tobias Harris from Tennessee.

• OK, we’re at 20, and the green room is still full of family and friends, because we’re in Jersey and you can’t just walk out the door and hit the clubs.

• At 20, the L-Wolves select Donantas Motiejunas from Lithuania. OK! First round is two-thirds finished, with some cool teams still on the clock.

• Attendance tonight is 8,417, which is listed as a sellout.

• In the stands to my left are a group of fans with signs that read TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS HEART KENNETH FARIED. Too bad they’re not NBA GMs!

• Woj just tweeted that the Rockets and Wolves have agreed to trade Jonny Flynn and Donatas Montiejunas to Houston for Brad Miller, the 23rd pick and a future first rounder. Another former SLAM Diary keeper on the move!

• With the TWENTY-SECOND PICK, the Nuggets will prolly take the guy with the most tattoos left on the board. Instead they take Kenneth Faried, from Newark.

• Sounds like Faried and Nolan Smith might be swapping places as part of a Ray Felton/Andre Miller trade, according to reports on Twitter. We’ll see if that pans out.

• Although it seems odd that George Karl would trade a UNC guy for a Duke guy.

• With the TWENTY-THIRD pick, the Rockets select Nikola Mirotic, from Montenegro…and he’d be part of the deal to go to the L-Wolves. Though it sounds like he can’t come to the NBA for four more years, anyway, so of course Minnesota went after him.

• Although Woj just tweeted that the L-Wolves are flipping that pick to the Bulls for the 28th, 43rd and a gift certificate to Best Buy.

• The Thunder roll in with the TWENTY-FOURTH pick, and select Reggie Jackson from Boston College.

• Now the Celts are on the clock at TWENTY-FIVE. When the Celtics logos flash up on the screens, boos break out in the arena. Stern strolls out and announces that the Celts select Marshon Brooks from Providence. Someone in the stands has a sign that says MARSHON BROOKS IS THE NEXT KOBE. Woj tweets that Brooks is going to Jersey in a trade.

• With the TWENTY-SIXTH pick, the Dallas Mavericks select Jordan Hamilton from Texas and stay in state.

• With the TWENTY-SEVENTH pick, the Nets will pick for the Celts, and they’re taking…JaJuan Johnson from Purdue.

• Also, Marc Stein tweets “Mavs are trading No. 26 to Portland to acquire Rudy Fernandez, with Portland moving the pick on to Denver in the Miller/Felton deal.” So that means Jordan Hamilton is a Nugget. Rudy as a Mav is kinda fresh.

• At TWENTY-EIGHT, the Bulls draft for the L-Wolves. and they select…Norris Cole from Cleveland State. This is one of the few college guys I’ve heard of because I heard he was kinda dope.

• We’re almost through this third hour of Round One! At TWENTY-NINE, the Spurs (I think) select Cory Joseph from Texas. Jay Bilas says it’s a bit of a surprise. You question the Spurs’ drafting at your own risk, buddy.

• And with the THIRTIETH PICK of the first round, the Bulls select Jimmy Butler from Marquette. Great guy, great story.

That’s it for the live blog. Thanks for chilling with us, and keep rocking in the comments. I’m out…

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 22, the NBA hosted a media availability session with some of the players invited to attend the 2011 Draft. So while hordes of quote-hungry reporters circled, the potential lottery picks answered, deflected and ignored the questions hurled at them.

SLAM, of course, was present for the entire hour-long session—flip camera in tow. The video above is a collection of some of our favorite, Q’s, A’s and one-liners.

Just in case some of you are at work and can’t view the video, or if you’re just more of a reader than listener, below are a few of the funniest-slash-juiciest bits. And if you want to see complete, unedited interviews from yesterday (and much more), be sure to check SLAM’s YouTube channel.

Jimmer Fredette

On who he models his game after: “I watch Deron Williams a lot… and I think if I can be as good as a player as he is in the NBA, I’ll be OK.”

Brandon Knight

On biggest strength as a combo guard: “I’m not a combo guard. I’m a point guard.”

On if people have pegged him as a combo guard: “Nah, she (the reporter) was the first one (laughs).”

On what NBA player he models his game after: “I don’t really say that about any NBA player, to be honest with you. I look at a lot of guys and I admire what they do, but to be like, ‘I want to be exactly like him?’ I never really do that.”

Enes Kanter

On potentially playing in Washington, DC: “I would love to play in DC. It’s international city, and Obama loves basketball.”

Alec Burks

Top 3 favorite moves (mistook “moves” for “movies”): “House Party, House Party 3 and I like The Players Club a lot.”

On being underrated: “I like being underrated. It got me to sitting here at this table today. So I don’t got no problem being underrated.”

Kyrie Irving

On this being a weak Draft: “This Draft is really special, regardless of what people say.”

The 13 other invites will be announced soon. The Salt Lake Tribune scoops the first: “Former Brigham Young guard Jimmer Fredette has been invited to the famed green room for the 2011 NBA Draft, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned. [...] Fredette’s invitation to the green room had been questioned during recent days, despite his fast-rising draft stock and expectations that he will not last past the 15th pick.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/fredette-invited-to-nba-draft-green-room/feed/7Jimmer Fredette Put on a Show for the Utah Jazz During Workouthttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/jimmer-fredette-put-on-a-show-for-the-utah-jazz-during-workout/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jimmer-fredette-put-on-a-show-for-the-utah-jazz-during-workout/#commentsThu, 16 Jun 2011 13:30:09 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=139562

Fredette, a rock star already in Utah, did not disappoint in his workout for the Jazz. The Salt Lake Tribune reports: “The Jimmer Fredette circus arrived Wednesday in Salt Lake City. The show was packed; the scene was a riot. And Fredette again stole the spotlight. Building off strong performances during four previous NBA Draft workouts, the former Brigham Young guard accomplished exactly what he set out to do weeks ago when initial plans took shape for a highly hyped session with the Jazz. Fredette got his long-desired matchup against ex-Connecticut star Kemba Walker, holding his own against a player many consider to be a lock for a top-10 pick in the June 23 draft. Fredette also drilled shots he was expected to sink, while drawing praise for his sharp passing and improved defense. In turn, the undersized combo guard who entered the five-week buildup toward selection day facing numerous questions and serious doubts ended Wednesday’s session by making more believers. ‘I thought it was one of my better workouts. I really did. I thought I played very well,’ said Fredette, who competed against Walker, Malcolm Lee (UCLA), Josh Harrellson (Kentucky), Senario Hillman (Alabama) and Paul Carter (Illinois-Chicago) for more than an hour at the Jazz practice facility. Shooting drills and three three-on-three sessions were the focus of the workout, which was closed to the media. BYU men’s basketball coach Dave Rose was in attendance, though, as was a playofflike media contingent and a large number of Jazz sponsors who watched behind a second-floor glass window as Fredette faced Walker. Despite the intense local connection and Fredette’s belief that draft workouts are more pressure-filled than NCAA playoff games, the 22-year-old with a cultlike following and his own YouTube channel didn’t flinch. Fredette blocked out the media circus, slept easy Tuesday night, then awoke telling himself to just ‘be Jimmer.’”

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose has played with and coached some pretty talented players throughout his basketball career. Most recently he’s coached the 2011 National Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette and was a member of the Phi Slamma Jamma teams that featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. So where does he rank Fredette? According to an interview with the ESPN Sacramento Kings blog, right at the top. From Cowbell Kingdom: “Well, I think he’s the best offensive player that has ever been on my team, either as a player or a coach, as far as his ability to just make big shots and kind of will your team out of spots during the game.”

As the draft nears, NBA teams will pit the most intriguing prospects head-to-head in hopes of gaining more insight for when judgement day arrives. After canceling his Sacramento Kings workout vs. Jimmer Fredette, Kemba Walker has rescheduled, just this time for the Utah Jazz. The duo could also be joined by guard Brandon Knight. With two picks in the lottery, this workout will be pivotal for Utah’s front-office. From the Salt Lake Tribune: “Fredette and Walker were set to work out together Thursday for Sacramento. However, Walker pulled out of the session due to a scheduling conflict. The duo attempted to pair up for several workouts during the build up toward the June 23 NBA Draft, but their lone remaining matchup is with the Jazz. Fredette said last Friday that he expects to work out for the Kings, Phoenix and Utah by mid-June. Meanwhile, Walker will reportedly work out Tuesday for Toronto, Wednesday for Detroit and June 13 for Sacramento. Walker is projected as an early first-round pick, while Fredette is expected to be chosen during the middle to late first round. Fredette tested well during the recent draft combine, though, and was impressive during workouts last week with Indiana and New York. With just 16 days remaining before selection day, Fredette wants to prove that he can compete with highly touted guards such as Walker and Knight.”

College basketball’s two brightest stars were scheduled to workout head-to-head Thursday for the Kings. It would have been a valuable comparison for the Kings, who have the seventh pick in the Draft. But Walker’s agent must have concluded that Kemba has nothing to gain: “Earlier this week, it was reported that Kemba Walker would be working out against Jimmer Fredette in Sacramento for the Kings next week. That workout will be Thursday, June 9, a source told TheHoopsReport.com. But there’s only one problem: Kemba Walker won’t be there. Walker has pulled out of his scheduled Kings workout against Fredette, a source told TheHoopsReport.com. The workout will still go on as planned on Thursday with Fredette and a group of other players.”

At this point in the Draft, Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver and President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby have plotzed. They cannot believe their luck. Bob is sketching the season ticket package cover on the back of his draft sheet while giggling like a psycho schoolgirl. Lon’s rolling the draft whiteboard out of the war room and down a flight of stairs. Won’t need that anymore!

Hell, even Alvin Gentry has joined the fun by ripping the defensive page of the Suns’ playbook out of the binder, tossing it into a metal wastebasket, and flicking lit matches inside. For the Phoenix Suns will now draft the nascent face of the franchise; the savior of the season ticket plan; the adrenaline injection into the heart of the offense:

With the 13th pick in the 2011 SLAMonline Mock Draft, the Phoenix Suns select…

Jimmer Fredette from Brigham Young University.

Welcome home, son.

The Jimmer is the antidote to apathy from Suns fans after a disappointing season by their standards. A Phoenix fan base that idolizes Steve Nash and held an outsized affection for Lou Amundson will pull Fredette to its wizened bosom without hesitation. Utah Jazz games at US Airways Center are often overrun by Utah fans, so he might even widen the season ticket base before he ever hoists a casual 35-footer professionally.

He’s even stated an affection for the Suns, telling reporters this week “(the Suns) are the type of team I’d like to play for.” One bat of those whole milk-fed eyelashes and Phoenix fans will go weak in the knees. Imagine if he also played basketball!

Admittedly, those fans will be as weak in the knees as Fredette trying to guard anyone with a greater lateral range than a birch tree in a stiff breeze. His affectionate wave applies to fans and men who have just sprinted by him with the ball. He only raises his hands to shoot, demand the ball, and ask to use the washroom during team meetings. He couldn’t defend the steamed vegetable tray at a barbecue competition. And so on.

Oh, and did we mention Jimmer hates carpooling because he can’t drive with someone that close to him? Is that piling on?

It just doesn’t matter, though. He can flash that utterly disarming smile and woo a suit just as well as a tween girl. His jacktastic offensive prowess fits snugly into the Suns’ current construction, allowing him to immediately adopt the Goran Dragic/Aaron Brooks role as second team helmsman. Brooks’ days would seem to be numbered in Phoenix if this public relations la petite mort came to pass, though one could justify Brooks’ reckless driving alongside Fredette’s laser sight for the basket in a teensy second team.

Eventually, Fredette would be marked the heir apparent for Nash, assuming Nash ever shows an inkling of desire to leave Arizona or the League. Being heir apparent to Nash brings theoretical promise of mentoring but ends up a lousy career move in the long run as you can’t replace someone who never leaves. Ask Dragic.

Of course, none of this fully addresses the remainder of the damage done during last offseason’s attempt to collect every small forward in the L as if they were 6-7 Pokémon. It also doesn’t prop back up Lopez the Lesser’s career nor does it acquire someone who can pull in a rebound better than that whiteboard at the bottom of the stairwell.

But one step at a time. First, save the season ticket sales. Then… actually, the Suns are kinda focused on Step 1 right now. Can you get back to them?

Fans now can “Follow Jimmer” as the 2011 NCAA Player of the Year prepares for the NBA Draft this month. Via Deseret News: “Former BYU guard Jimmer Fredette had a hard enough time getting around campus in Provo without being followed by adoring fans. Now that he’s preparing for the NBA Draft, he’s got a camera crew to do the following for him. Tupelo-Honey Productions has just launched a new YouTube channel called ‘Follow Jimmer,’ featuring the scoring sensation as he travels to audition for NBA teams, trains with Cougar teammates in Provo, and socializes with friends and family. The YouTube channel contains two videos, uploaded Wednesday afternoon, with more to be added as the draft nears.”

The Jimmer and his celebrity status is proving to be too much for the classroom. PostStar has the story: “Jimmer Fredette has stopped going to classes at Brigham Young University. That is not unusual for college basketball stars who plan to make their living in the NBA, but in this case it was the school that requested it. ‘It was getting too disruptive,’ said Al Fredette, Jimmer’s father, who explained that Jimmer’s fame in Provo, Utah, has led to constant requests for autographs and photographs. ‘He can’t go anywhere in Provo without being recognized.’ He now does all his schoolwork online. Fredette has become a national celebrity over the past few months and has been named almost everyone’s national collegiate basketball player of the year.”

This was the first year that at least three seniors were on the team since 2006. Fredette missed being the lone unanimous first team member by just one vote. He is the first BYU All-American since Danny Ainge in 1981.

Interviewing Bill Walton is the easiest thing in the world. It doesn’t actually involve much interviewing. You throw out a few words, or an idea, and he’ll happily take it from there. And where he takes it is anyone’s guess—he moves quickly and with ease from specific aspects of basketball to general life lessons. Earlier today, Walton sat in front of a group of bloggers and journalists at Legends Bar in midtown Manhattan and talked about college hoops, the NBA, his upbringing, Coach John Wooden, and much more. Promoting Guinness beer, he told everyone to “Go bold, quit your job, and chase your dreams,” numerous times, and provided a wide variety of other highlights. Note that the italics below are an attempt to put his quotes into context, but given his verbal acrobatics, that’s damn near impossible. With Bill Walton—the man who once compared Boris Diaw to Beethoven himself—context rarely holds much weight.

On what he enjoys about college basketball:

“My favorite player and my favorite story in college basketball this year is Jimmer Fredette, who I just think is fantastic. He’s a combination of Pete Maravich, Larry Bird, Danny Ainge and JJ Barea. Just exemplifies everything you look for in a player. And what makes it so much fun for me is he’s a little, skinny, scrawny guy, which is what I used to be. That was me growing up as a young boy, idolizing UCLA basketball with the first championship teams, with [Walt] Hazzard and [Gail] Goodrich and Keith Erickson and Kenny Washington and Freddie Goss—the speed, the quickness, the change of pace and execution and fundamentals—he’s got it all. Our world has become one of power, of size, of strength, with nothing but the winners of the genetic lottery. And there’s little Jimmer Fredette, out there just torching them all. And there’s nothing on Earth like beating the big guys, and when you come out and you look at those big, giant guys and you just go, OK. My mind, my spirit, my soul—it’s just all happening.”

On expanding the field to 68:

“More basketball! It means more money. More money, means more opportunities for other students, other sports, and the NCAA—I’m a big believer. I don’t think you should pay players; I think that’s a mistake. The value of a college scholarship—anybody in this room go to college? [Hands raise] Anybody in this room think this was a valuable experience and it helped you with your life? [Hands raise] Yes, so that’s the value that you get. It’s not about paying them money. Give value, but make the value be realistic. And have exceptions. Have exceptions for extreme cases. And make it worthwhile for the players to stay. The Player’s Association [and] the current players are making a huge mistake arguing for high school players to come into the League. The Union represents current players, and those jobs at the end of the line. That’s what the Union should be fighting for, as opposed to the guys who aren’t even in the Union. I’m for a rule that would have three years out of high school, or 21 years of age. Three years, or minimum 21 years of age. The NBA, that’s a man’s League. It’s adults. College is different; two totally different sports. And fantastic, unique and great in their respective ways.”

On his upbringing:

“I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon, but I grew up with a golden dream. A golden dream of being part of something special. And I had remarkable parents, [with] no clue about the world of athletics. Never shot a basket with my dad. Saw him run one time at the church picnic and fell over laughing. My parents, ask me to this day, ‘Bill, you graduated from UCLA 37 years ago, did you ever get a job?’ I’m closer than ever to being able to say yes.”

On the best teams he’s played for:

“I was a part of three of the great teams in the history of basketball: The UCLA Bruins, whose record still stands to this very day; The Portland Trail Blazers, where I played my best, and we became the youngest team in the history of the NBA to ever win the championship; and then the Boston Celtics, my boyhood dream team. I grew up in Laker country; San Diego, that is Laker country. [Radio sportscaster] Chick Hearn was the man that taught me how to think about basketball, how to play basketball, how to love basketball, how to love life. But the way Chick talked about Bill Russell–because we didn’t have a television growing up. We couldn’t afford one at the beginning, and then our mom, who was the town librarian, one day she crushed our spirits. We would relentlessly pester our parents, like, ‘Buy us a TV! We want to be cool!’ And they said, ‘You want to eat, or you want to watch TV?’ We wanted to eat. So finally one day at the dinner table, my mom said, ‘We saved enough money, we can afford a television.’ ‘Yes! We’re gonna be cool!’ And then she said, in her next breath, ‘But I’ve been doing lots of research at the library, and there’s nothing on television worth watching, so we’re not gonna get one.’ But I had the radio, and I had Chick. And the way Chick talked about Bill Russell, that’s how I fell in love with Bill Russell. The way he carried himself, the way he did everything that others couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Bill Russell was one of those supremely unique characters and personalities and talents who could and did do anything that he wanted to do, but his choices in life were to make a difference for other people. His combination of Red Auerbach and that whole Celtic thing, that was me—little Billy. And I got to be a Celtic. And now I’m here in an Irish sports bar, with Guinness.”

On the best teams in the NBA:

“The Lakers are on top right now. The Celtics are the best team in the East, but they’re being pushed by Chicago and Miami. And the dream for those teams right now, who don’t have as much talent as Boston, the dream for Chicago and Miami: The Celtics are old. Run ‘em. Just keep running, keep playing; they’ll break. They’ll wear down under the endless nature of NBA basketball. Dallas and San Antonio are good, but they’re not as good as the Lakers. The Lakers will have an easier time getting to the Finals than the Celtics will. Whoever has home court between Lakers and Celtics in the Finals will win. The Celtics just a week ago had a five-game cushion. That cushion is down to two, and shrinking fast, with losses to teams like the Clippers, Philadelphia, and the New Jersey Nets. With all being said about Boston, I don’t think they should fire their coach. I think he’s a keeper.”

On if playing in the NBA is fun during March:

“The only time playing basketball is not fun, the only time it’s not better than perfect, is when you’re hurt. I know far too much about that. I have one skill at life and that’s being places where I don’t belong. Although I’m in an Irish sports bar with Guinness, so…I’m a slow learner, but I may be getting closer to the Promised Land.”

On why the fast break is his favorite play:

“I used to play like Danny Ainge when I was a young player. When I was 12, I was playing against some really old guys—they were 30, maybe even a couple years older. I was torching them, and they got mad. They took me down in a high-low. Bam. I tore my knee up, and I couldn’t play. The doctor didn’t know what to do, so he said to go home, get some rest. I went home and rested, and it didn’t get better. He had to operate. The operator said, ‘I don’t know, Bill. Just go home and lie for three months, and let’s see. Let’s hope for the best.’ So by now I’m 13, I lie in bed for three months, have the operation. I get up, I’m six and a half inches taller, but only gained five pounds. Couldn’t run, because of my knee. And my game changed totally. So I convinced the coach—I’m in high school now—just let me play defense. Let me stay on the defensive end. I’ll block shots, I’ll rebound, I’ll outlet the ball, and when we get the ball, our other four guys would just race down the floor and shoot. That’s how I learned how to start the fast break, and to the very end, it remains my favorite part of basketball. Whether it’s a deflection, intimidating a shot, blocking a shot, grabbing a rebound, it makes no difference. Just start the fast break.”

On arguing with Coach Wooden:

“Coach Wooden may not have liked the give and take, because it was his team, and we were gonna do things his way. We were ‘more than welcome to go do something else.’ He would always say, ‘Bill, we enjoyed having you here, but we’re gonna miss you.’ And while I fought Coach on every issue—you name it: politics, religion, social issues, the war, economics, whether the cheerleaders should be in our hotel after the game—he always said, ‘Bill, I’m the coach, and I’m in charge. We’ve enjoyed having you, but we’re gonna miss you.’ And they asked him, when he was 97, they said, ‘So coach, come on, you’re 97. Were you really gonna kick Walton off the team?’ And without hesitation he said, ‘The only thing that matters is that Walton thought I was going to.’ And I did!”

On his tourney favorite:

“Too early for me to tell. There’s no dominant team, there’s no great team. [Someone asks about Ohio State.] Ohio State’s good. I’m not the biggest fan of Big Ten basketball. I like faster-paced basketball. Mike D’Antoni, let’s give him all the credit in the world for saving basketball. When it was 71-69 at the end of the third overtime, ‘OK guys, when are we gonna get running? When are we gonna get shooting?’ … As the tournament unfolds, I’ll be able to see all the teams.”

According to The Jimmer‘s brother, T.J., the fam is rooting for the Knickerbockers to take him in next year’s NBA Draft. The Philly Inquirer reports: “Last season, NBA scouts told Jimmer he’d likely be selected late in the first round, early in the second. There were no guarantees and since Jimmer wanted his senior year anyway, the decision to return was made easier. DraftExpress currently predicts Jimmer will go 13th (to the Phoenix Suns) in the 2011 NBA Draft, although his stock fluctuates with questions about his size, speed, and defense. What isn’t a concern is his endorsement potential: one agent said companies are lining up to use his squeaky-clean image and market his electrifying game and trouble-free persona. The ideal NBA landing pad for both brothers – basketball for Jimmer, music for T.J. – would be New York. ‘We want him to go to the Knicks,’ T.J. says without hesitation. ‘That’s our team.’ In NYC, Jimmer could learn under veteran point guard Chauncey Billups, play in coach Mike D’Antoni’s up-and-down system, and live in a city close to home. Of course, this isn’t a controllable part of the plan.”

Before we go any further, let’s just get this fact out there: Jimmer Fredette had as many points at halftime (33) in his game as Wisconsin did in its entire game against Penn State on Saturday. Fredette eventually finished with a career-high 52 points as BYU ousted New Mexico from the Mountain West Conference tournament with an 87-76 victory.

Facing the team that handed the Cougars two of its three losses this season, Fredette was BYU’s entire offense, making 22-37 shots. His 52 points were the most by a player in any conference tournament in the last 15 seasons. He also passed Danny Ainge on Saturday to become BYU’s all-time leading scorer.

After scoring BYU’s first ten points, Fredette was the target of several double-teams, but he continued to be able to get off shots. Even with the extra pressure, he was able to take care of the ball too, dishing out four assists and committing just two turnovers.

Fredette’s performance in the MWC tournament semifinal victory was the greatest moment so far in one of the best individual seasons in college basketball this season.

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

“You can kind of see the score, the [player] points, because it is right there next to the scoreboard,” Fredette said. “They put it up there for you. I don’t know if it is correct or not. You can kind of tell where you’re at. But I wasn’t a hundred percent sure at all times, you know what I mean? But I did see some of the times when I looked up there and just saw the score. I knew I was having a good game. I saw it sometimes.”

The win for BYU sets up a MWC tournament final with San Diego State. The Cougars took the first two meetings, but those were both before Brandon Davies was suspended. To complete the sweep and perhaps go far in the NCAA tournament, BYU might need many more nights like this from Fredette.

One day after Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team by BYU, the Cougars put their weakened frontcourt to the test against New Mexico. Despite 33 points from Jimmer Fredette, BYU wasn’t competitive in an 82-64 loss.

It’s obvious that the loss of Davies had an even greater effect than first realized. The three starters in the frontcourt for BYU combined for just 12 points and 9 rebounds. As a team the Cougars lost the rebounding edge, 36-25.

Meanwhile, more details have emerged from Davies dismissal. The reason appears to be premarital sex with his girlfriend. He is reportedly crushed by what has happened.

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

According to a source close to the program, Davies was “extremely remorseful, heartbroken,” but has accepted the punishment doled out by the school.

On Wednesday afternoon, the school confirmed that Davies’ dismissal was not due to anything criminal in nature, but would not acknowledge the specific portion of the honor code he violated, per school policy.

Among other things, the honor code forbids students from engaging in premarital sex, and admonishes them to “live a chaste and virtuous life.”

The loss on Wednesday is the third this season for BYU, two of which came against New Mexico. It also might have ended the school’s hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Cougars have one final home game against Wyoming on Saturday to straighten things out before they enter their conference tournament. Chances are Fredette will need to do even more in March for his team to advance to the Final Four.

It’s been nothing but smooth sailing for Jimmer Fredette and BYU the past month, but it appears that the Cougars will need to deal with a little adversity in March as sophomore forward Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team on Tuesday for violating the school’s honor code.

Davies was third on the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg and led the team with 6.2 rpg. He had more than doubled both his scoring and rebounding averages in his second season and was the tallest player in the starting five.

BYU has a very strict honor code, which can be found here. It is unclear what violation Davies made, but the team plans to make a statement after Wednesday’s game.

It does not appear this decision has any chance to be overturned.

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

School spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said Tuesday night that the school does not release details regarding violations of the code. She said the Honor Code Office of the university owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints became aware of the violation on Monday and that a review is under way.

“Some decisions regarding Brandon’s future on the basketball team and his status as a student are yet to be determined,” Jenkins said.

With just two regular season games remaining on the schedule, the Cougars will have very little time to adapt to a new rotation. With Fredette, BYU should be able to hang with any team in the country, but its thin frontcourt might now be its demise in the NCAA tournament.

Jimmer Fredette was his usual self, finishing with a line of 32 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, but the BYU defense had too many holes to give the team a quality road win in a tough enviornment. The Lobos shot nearly 51 percent from the field and scored 54 points in the second half alone.

While the win was huge for New Mexico’s hopes of turning the season around and making a run at the Mountain West Conference title, it did take a toll on its historic venue.

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

Seven rows of benches broke in the lower portion of the student section on Saturday, but weren’t discovered until the students rushed the floor after the 86-77 win over BYU.

A UNM spokesperson said nobody was hurt.

Of course, the Pit recently underwent a $60 million renovation that has been dogged by problems, including the failure to meet fire code standards. The benches are expected to be repaired before UNM’s next home game.

As for BYU, Fredette will make the Cougars media darlings for as far as they go, but Saturday’s loss most likely squashes any hopes of being a one- or two-seed in March. Despite having such a talented player, the Mountain West is as deep as a non-BCS conference can be and just surviving week-to-week will be a much taller task than people realized following Wednesday’s win over San Diego State.

As BYU and The Jimmer tipped off against undefeated San Diego State last night, I was fortunate enough to be in the same locker room as another “slow, unathletic” shooter who was somewhat doubted as he came into the NBA after his senior year in college: JJ Redick.

Chosen with the 11th pick in the 2006 Draft, Redick wasn’t an immediate impact player and it took him a while to realize what his role would be at the highest level, which is why his critique and advice in particular is valuable to anybody who wants to take a peak into the future of The Jimmer.

“I haven’t watched him play much since the Tournament last year, but he’s a special player — a talented guy. I hope he has a great senior year and hopefully we can see him in the League next year.

“I wouldn’t doubt him. He’s gonna have a chance to play in the League, that’s for sure. I haven’t seen enough of him, but anybody who puts up those kinds of numbers obviously has that kind of competitive streak. He’s gonna give himself a chance to play in this league for sure.

“Continue to work on your weakness but also be who you are. That’s most important because if you can carve out a niche for yourself in this league, that’s a great thing.”

As Redick implies, whether you are a superstar or a role player on an NBA team, the fact of the matter is that you are in the League doing what you love to do.

With all of the “Can Jimmer play in the NBA?” talk that’s going around right now, people should keep Redick’s thoughts in mind.

Is Jimmer smart/savvy enough to fill a role in the NBA? Yes.

Does he lead well enough? Yes.

Can he shoot well enough? Yes.

Whether he can guard point guards at the highest level and whether he is athletic enough remains to be seen, but I’m with JJ — I wouldn’t doubt this kid, either.

Fredette was nearly unstoppable, hitting 14-of-24 shots from the field. He was just one of two Cougars to score in double figures, but that was enough to get past the Azetcs.

San Diego State’s star Kawhi Leonard had a great game in his own right, finishing with 22 points and 15 rebounds, despite battling an illness. However, the rest of his team combined to make just 14 shots, and the Aztecs fell from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The night belonged to Fredette, and his performance turned heads, even among NBA players.

From The Deseret News:

For Fredette, it was the 15th time he has scored over 30 points in his career and his fifth game with more than 40. It’s only the second time he’s scored more than 30 points at the Marriott Center. He had 36 last season against Utah.

“It wasn’t a goal of mine to score 40,” Fredette said, who nailed 14-of-24 from the floor, including five 3-pointers. “It was a goal to try to win the game.”

The nation was paying close attention to this game, and so, too was NBA star Kevin Durant, who declared on his Facebook page after the game, “Jimmer Fredette is the best scorer in the world!”

And then there was one. With San Diego State losing, Ohio State is now the only unbeaten team in the country. All eyes will be on the Buckeyes this Saturday when they try to avoid major upset at Northwestern.

More on Jimmer — a college kid you should well know by now — via SLAMonline’s Scoreboard (we hope y’all are checking that often!): “Jimmer Fredette scored 42 points and No. 9 Brigham Young improved to 5-0 in the Mountain West with a 94-85 victory over host Colorado State on Saturday… Fredette, who leads the nation in scoring, scored 21 points in each half. It was the second time in three games Fredette scored more than 40 points, and the 14th 30-point game of his stellar career. Fredette made four 3-point baskets and hit 16-of-17 free-throw attempts. Emery also made four 3-pointers.”

If you aren’t aware of just how good Jimmer Fredette is after Tuesday night, then you may never be.

Against in-state rival Utah, Fredette led BYU with 47 points as the Cougars blew past the Utes, 104-79. It was a shooting clinic for the senior guard as he made 16-of-28 shots from the field, including 6-of-9 from long distance.

His 47 points coupled with Kemba Walker’s 18 on Tuesday make Fredette’s the nation’s leading scorer at 26.1 ppg.

On Tuesday night, there might not have been a team in the country that could have stopped Fredette.

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

They flat out got Jimmered — by the count of 104-79, as Fredette bludgeoned them with his 47 points. And it wasn’t just the scoring totals that rolled them, it was the way they came, in rapid-fire bursts from stupid-long range.

Not just stupid-long range, preposterous range. A 30-footer here, a 27-footer there, a 25-footer just for good measure, and a 40-footer launched a nanosecond before the half ended. That last blast stretched the margin in what had been a relatively close contest into a 53-42 Cougars lead at the break.

It got worse.

“When you’re feeling it, you’re feeling it,” said Fredette, who then used odd terminology to mirror what has already been said here. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Fredette’s breakout game on Tuesday might officially throw him to the top of the Player of the Year race. If he isn’t the country’s top player, he is now without a doubt its top scorer, and BYU could add a Stephen Curry/Davidson feel to this year’s tournament.

The city of Glens Falls had been looking forward to this day. The day their hometown hero returned and put on a show for the town that saw him grow into an All-American. In front of a sellout crowd at the Glens Falls Civic Center, Jimmer Fredette walked off the court with a standing-ovation after scoring 26 points and dishing out 5 assists in an 86-58 victory over Vermont that maintained BYU undefeated at 9-0. The highly anticipated homecoming had been in the works for a while. In SLAM 144, currently in newsstands nationwide, Fredette spoke of his future aspirations. — FC

by Franklyn Calle

After testing the NBA waters last spring, BYU guard Jimmer Fredette decided to return for his senior year and take care of unfinished business. Last season, the Glens Falls, NY, native led the Cougars to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993 by scoring 37 points in a double-overtime win against the 10th-seeded Florida Gators. This tied Danny Ainge’s BYU record for most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game. Fredette, a 6-2 guard rated among the best in the nation, led the Mountain West Conference in scoring last season after averaging 22.1 points and was the obvious selection as this season’s MWC pre-season Player of the Year.

Fredette caught national notoriety last season after putting up big numbers and carrying the program with his great scoring ability. In a late-December game against the Arizona Wildcats, Fredette’s 49 points set a school record for points in a single game. During the MWC Basketball Tournament in March, the then-junior, who has been compared to Ben Gordon, dropped a Tourney-record 45 points in a 95-85 win against TCU.

The Cougars, who will be playing their final season in the MWC before moving to the West Coast Conference next season, will be looking to leave with a bang. And Fredette has his eyes on the prize. “I always wanted to win the conference tournament championship,” he says. “We won the conference regular season championship a couple of times but never a tournament championship while I was here. I’m looking forward to trying to get to the Sweet 16 and then hopefully beyond.”

Fredette pulled back from the Draft after not getting any guarantees from teams. But this time around, he knows what it takes to get one. “I decided it would be best for me to come back, have a great senior year, play well, be consistent and then hopefully get picked in the first round.”